Wash Away Your Fears
by nataliexo
Summary: Kohaku was fine with blending in, with being a nobody, but when she is forced to play for the Host Club she will soon find out that sometimes it's alright to stand out. Bad Summary  : OC inside
1. Death By Cake

Ouran High School; where social status and wealth mattered. It was a place that didn't spare any expense and for those who didn't have money flowing from every pour on their body it was a mere dream. Of course, like many prestigious schools it had scholarships but there was only one scholarship student per year and the criteria that they had was much higher than the normal students.

Ouran High School; where if you had little to no money and weren't known then you were classed as a nobody.

One of the school's nobodies was Kohaku Nakamura, a second year who had been lucky enough to attain the performing arts scholarship. Although despite already having the scholarship for just over a year, she could lose it at any moment should her music grades drop or should she place below the top five in her year. So unlike many other seventeen year olds who would rush out after school, she would tend to stay to use one of the three music rooms in her building. These were vital to her scholarship as she did not have a piano at home and so could only practice in school unlike her violin which she could practice at home.

"I'm sorry Miss, but we are refurnishing the music rooms in the North side of this building. They will not be available for the rest of the week." The maid apologized profusely to the dark haired girl who merely nodded and left half-heartedly.

Kohaku bit her lip as she walked, she needed to practise or else she could lose her scholarship and after all she had done to get into this school, she refused to let that happen, if not for herself but for her mother. Walking slowly through the empty halls of the school, Kohaku wondered what she should do. She had been given a new music piece to practise and with no access to either of the music rooms for the rest of the week, it would leave her with only three days to perfect the piece. Not nearly enough time for the perfectionist Kohaku, of course she could memorize the sheet music but to perfect each piece she always gave herself a minimal of 4 days. As she headed for the exit she noticed a sign reading; "South Hall, Music Room".

'Strange' she thought, 'I never knew there was a third music room.'

Walking up to the door she pulled out her sheet music and began scanning it as she entered the room.

"Welcome fair princess to the Host Club!" The loud voice startled her and caused her to freeze in mid step.

Before her stood seven men, dressed in tuxedos looking incredibly out of pla- no wait, why were there various casino games scrambled around the room. This was the music room wasn't it? She hadn't stepped into some alternate dimension had she?

The tall blonde walked up to Kohaku and grabbed her hand before placing a kiss in the knuckle while she stared on in horror.

"It seems we have a new customer, well don't worry princess, we will find something to fit your taste." He didn't let her hand drop and never broke eye contact with Kohaku, mistaking her shock for awe.

"Now we have the 'Cool Type' or perhaps you would like the 'Devil Type' or are you in favour of the 'Loli – Shota Type', we also have the 'Wild Type' the 'Natural Type' and last of all we have the 'Prince Type'" As each type was mentioned, each member of the Host Club moved close. The twins, Hikaru and Kaoru both put an arm around Kohaku causing her breathing to speed up and her body began to tremble.

Kyoya was furiously tapping on his laptop before realisation flashed in his eyes and he cleared his throat and began to speak;

"I would advise you all to st…" He wasn't allowed to finish his sentence as a quiet trembling voice interrupted.

"Please… please… don't touch me."

The Host club shared confused glances and slowly backed away from the trembling girl, realizing that her breathing had become laboured and her face had paled.

"Are you alright princess?" Tamaki asked, reaching out a hand which he dropped as soon as he saw the girl flinch.

"Nakamura Kohaku, seventeen years old, scholarship student in performing arts, suffers from anxiety attacks when crowded." Kyoya read off his laptop.

Kohaku focused on her breathing, remembering what her doctor had told her, deep slow calm breaths, think of something that you find relaxing.

Closing her eyes, she imagined playing her violin her fingers moved in time with the music and soon enough her breathing was back to normal.

"Here Nakamura – Senpai," a quiet voice said, holding out a glass of water.

Looking up she met the eyes of Haruhi and managed a weak smile in thanks as she took the drink.

"I am awfully sorry princess; we did not mean to upset you. Now would you like to choose your host?" Tamaki asked with his charming smile on.

"H-h-host? I just came here to practice," Kohoku said, focusing on the water in the glass.

"Practice? You mean you didn't know that this was the Host Club?" One of the twins, Kaoru, asked.

Kohaku shook her head, still refusing to meet the eyes of anyone else in the club.

Handing the glass back to Haruhi, Kohaku bowed and apologized; "I'm sorry for interrupting your club," before she turned to leave only to have something tug on the bottom of her dress.

"Please stay Ku – Chan! You can have some cake!" Honey held up a slice of sponge cake, lightly dusted with icing sugar.

"I-I-I can't. I don't…" She began when she was cut off.

"Do not worry about the expense; consider this our apology for causing you to have an anxiety attack."

The Host club members stared at Kyoya in shock as his glasses glinted in the light.

"I...I...I... can't stay long. I have to practice at home," Kohaku muttered, still staring at the cake with devouring eyes.

"Yay! Come sit with Takashi and I!" Honey grabbed Kohaku's hand and led her over to a table that had cake and tea while the rest of the Host Club whispered to Kyoya.

"Free? Since when did Kyoya ever give away anything?" Hikaru asked.

"We cannot risk word spreading that the Host Club caused someone to have an anxiety attack. Though I doubt she will tell anyone, this will make sure." Again Kyoya's glasses glinted in the light as he adjusted them as a look of understanding crossed everyone's face.

"He really is evil." The twins muttered.

"Beside the guests won't arrive for another twenty minutes and I doubt she'll stay that long." Kyoya finished with a smirk

Back over with Honey, Mori and Kohaku, Honey was firing questions at Kohaku at an astounding speed.

"What instruments do you play? Can you really play any piece you hear without practicing? Can you play the violin and piano at the same time, Ku – Chan?"

Before Honey could continue on Mori stopped him with a simple word; "Cake."

Kohaku glanced up at Mori and before he could meet her gaze she dropped her head and clenched her fists.

"Are you okay Ku – Chan? Here have some cake!"

Kohaku took the plate from her Senpai with a slight smile, avoiding looking at Mori at all. Eyeing the dessert with awe, she took a bite and smiled at the creamy taste in her mouth.

"It's nice isn't it Ku – Chan! It's my favourite vanilla and strawberry!"

A crash was heard from the other side of the room causing the rest of the Host Club to turn at the sound.

Kohaku clutched at her chest as her breaths became short and rapid; she could feel her lips swelling and her throat closing and knew she didn't have much time. Grabbing her bag she looked for the box that could save her life.

"What's wrong with her Honey – Senpai?" Haruhi asked.

"I…I don't know Haru – Chan! After she swallowed the cake, something happened and her face began to swell and and and…" Honey trailed off, tearing up at the distressful sight in front of him.

Kyoya examined the sight before him before realising what had happened;

"Tamaki call an ambulance now! Hikaru, Kaoru go get the school nurse!" He ordered.

Haruhi turned to Kyoya and asked; "What's wrong with her?"

"She's going into anaphylactic shock. She was allergic to something in the cake." His voice was grave as he took in the signs that Kohoku had shown. Swelling to her face and possibly throat, her skin had become flush and her breathing had become irregular.

Kohaku didn't listen to the voices around her as she found the box with her EpiPen inside. Pulling it out, she prepared the device and quickly pressed it into her outer thigh as she had been shown to do. Massaging the injected area, she could feel her breathing slow and her throat began to open up slightly.

She heard several sets of footsteps and vaguely made out the face of the school nurse before she fell unconscious.

The Host Club looked on in horror as Kohoku was carried away in a stretcher, it turns out she was severely allergic to strawberries, something that caused Honey to cry even more as he blamed himself for her condition.

Despite being reassured by all of the Host Club, Honey could not stop crying and it was with a serious face that Tamaki said;

"We can't hold the Host Club today."

No one disagreed with him as they all knew that Honey would not be able to see any customers and Mori would be with him so he wouldn't be able to entertain either.

* * *

><p>Kohaku woke up to the regular beeping of her heartbeat and it didn't take the girl long to realise she was in hospital.<p>

"Hey you're awake."

Kohaku turned her head to the voice to see her mother sitting in the chair beside her bed, still in her work uniform looking exhausted.

"How long have I been out?" Kohaku asked her voice quiet.

"Only an hour but they are going to keep you in overnight, just in case. What did you eat that had strawberry in it anyway?" Shiori asked, helping her daughter sit up.

"Cake"

Shiori laughed, knowing that Kohaku always had a soft spot for cake. "By the way, there are a group of boys outside. They want to see you," She raised an eyebrow as her daughter fidgeted in the hospital bed and said nothing.

"They seem rather worried about you, are they friends?" Shiori asked

Kohaku simply shook her head and continued to stare at her hands.

"Either way, I will let them in to see you while I go let the doctor know that you are awake."

Before Kohaku could protest, her mother had left the room leaving her alone for a minute before seven boys in tuxedos walked in.

"I'm so sorry Ku – Chan! I didn't mean to poison you!" Honey said, running up to her bedside with watery eyes.

As the entire Host Club surrounded her bed, Kohaku felt trapped again and her breathing started to increase causing her heart rate to shoot up.

"Stop crowding her everyone, can't you see she doesn't like it?" Haruhi said as she stood by the window.

Taking note of Haruhi's words everyone with the exception of Honey stepped back allowing Kohaku to relax slightly.

"H...how did you know what hospital I was in?" She asked quietly.

"This is my family's hospital, it wasn't hard to find out you were here." Kyoya said, fixing his glasses.

Honey sniffled again as fresh tears poured from his eyes; "I'm really sorry Ku – Chan! Please don't hate me!"

Kohaku glanced at Honey before looking at her lap;

"I don't hate you. It wasn't your fault Haninozuka – Senpai. You didn't know."

If Honey was shocked at her using his full last name he didn't show it as he stuttered;

"B…B...But you nearly died!" He exclaimed.

"It was an accident, don't worry Senpai." Very gingerly, Kohaku patted Honey's hand in an attempt to comfort him as he continued to sniffle.

"If it was anyone's fault, it was Kohaku's. She should have checked what was in the cake." Hikaru stated lazily, causing Tamaki and Haruhi to scold him.

"He's right though," The mature voice interrupted the scolding as Shiori returned followed closely with an older doctor.

"I've always told you to make sure there are no strawberries in the things you eat. You were lucky again that people were around but that might not happen next time!"

Kohaku stared at her bed as her mother scolded her, she couldn't argue as she knew her mother was right, she always seemed to be right.

With a sigh Shiori placed a hand on her daughter's head and ruffled her hair; "You really had me worried there Kohaku."

Kohaku looked up at her mother's face and spoke softly; "I'm sorry mom."

Shiori smiled at Kohaku and dropped her hand, finally allowing the doctor to speak.

"Well Nakamura – San, it seems you were lucky. The EMTs had to administer a second shot of epinephrine as you were brought to the hospital but it seems that there is no other damage. Of course, we will keep you in overnight just to be sure but if all is well, you will be released tomorrow."

Kohaku nodded and the doctor smiled at her mother before leaving the room.

"Well now that the doctor has seen you, maybe you should introduce me to your friends," Shiori grinned at her daughter who merely stared in response.

"They aren't my…" She started but was promptly cut off by Tamaki who began to introduce himself and the others.

'If only I hadn't entered that practice room' Kohaku thought to herself as she watched her mom become enraptured in Tamaki's charm.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Heeeey there! I have really gotten obsessed with this anime/manga recently and yeah, the creative juices started flowing. I have other chapters written but I won't be publishing them so soon, so feedback/comments are appreciated as always!**


	2. A Shadowy Compromise

The Host Club didn't stay long after they found out that Kohaku was going to be fine and it wasn't long after that her mom left, realising that she had to work night shift at the convenience store. Kohaku wasn't mad that her mom had left her alone in the hospital; she knew that she couldn't afford to miss a shift at work and she had been lucky enough to find someone who would swap her afternoon shift so she could come to the hospital.

As Kohaku lay in her bed, she ran over the events of that day. It should have been a normal day, go to school, practice piano and violin before going home to study but when she walked into that room, it messed everything up. It was her fault of course, she could have just rested for a day and practiced another time or if she didn't have an anxiety attack she could have just left and they wouldn't have felt that they had to make up for causing it.

It wasn't their fault that she hated being crowded by men or touched by them, they weren't to know that. Not even the one with glasses, Ootori – San, knew the true reason for her anxiety attacks. Yes being crowded was part of the reason but if it was females then it wouldn't be as bad. Oh well, hopefully she would never need to see them all again, yes she had class with Suoh – San and Ootori – San but they didn't take any notice of her, no one did, and she liked it that way. She was left alone to focus on her studies and on her music.

It didn't take the girl long to fall asleep, the stress on her body from the attack tired her out and allowed her to sleep soundly throughout the night. When she woke up the next day, she found her mother quietly talking with the doctor.

When they both noticed she was awake, her mother smiled as the doctor began to speak;

"Good morning, Nakamura – San. I was just discussing with your mother here that you should be able to go home soon. Your bloods came back normal and it seems that you haven't had a reaction to the adrenaline, if your final check-up is all clear then I have no problem with allowing you to go home."

After being giving that okay from the hospital and dealing with the bill, Kohaku and her mother left the hospital and headed home to their apartment.

"I'll pay back the money for the hospital bills mom." Kohaku said, breaking the silence.

"No you won't. You're my daughter; I will pay your hospital bills until you have left school. Besides you don't have the money to pay me." Shiori brushed away the suggestion easily.

"I get paid on Friday. I can give you the money then!" Kohaku argued causing her mother to roll her eyes.

"Kohaku, you work hard for that money and you already give enough of it to me to help around the house. I said no, I'll simply take on an extra shift or two next week. I don't mind paying the bill as long as you are alright." Shiori's tone gave Kohaku no room argue and she simply sighed.

It didn't take the pair to walk home, although Shiori looked exhausted by the time she stumbled in.

"Mom you aren't working today are you?" Kohaku asked, warily eyeing her mother.

"No, no. Today is my day off, good thing too. I'm exhausted." Shiori yawned as if to back up her statement.

Kohaku shifted guiltily knowing that it was partially her fault, if she hadn't eaten the cake then her mother wouldn't have had to swap her shift with someone because she had to go to the hospital.

"Oh no, I know that look. Don't you go feeling guilty, it was an accident what happened yesterday, yes you should have checked what was in the cake but everyone makes mistakes. Don't go blaming yourself!" Shiori scolded her daughter before pecking her cheek.

"Right, I'm going to go sleep for a few hours. Wake me up when you want dinner, darling and since neither of us are working tonight why don't we have our mother – daughter night in?"

Kohaku smiled gently at her mother and nodded before ushering her mother into her room.

* * *

><p>Kohaku spent most of the day looking over her schoolwork and her sheet music, she really couldn't afford to fall behind and spend the day lazing around. She was lucky that she didn't have to work tonight, her mother would have forced her to call in sick despite being given the all clear from the hospital. It was also lucky that her mother didn't have to work today either, neither of them could afford to miss a single day of work. The end of the month was nearing and that was when all of the bills arrived, money was tight most of times but with the hospital bill it would be even tighter, they didn't need the extra worry of missing a day's pay.<p>

By six o'clock, Kohaku's stomach was growling and she knew that if she didn't wake up her mother Shiori would definitely be mad at her. Especially if Kohaku tried to cook something, things had gone very badly the last time she tried it. It wasn't her fault though; she didn't _mean_ to burn the rice… or the pot.

As she rose from the floor, her mother padded into the living room barefoot in her pyjamas.

"I was just coming to wake you," Kohaku said surprised. On Shiori's days off, she tended to sleep most of it, to catch up on the little sleep she got on the other days.

"Well now you don't have to, I was going to make curry rice for dinner okay?"

Kohaku simply nodded and returned to the math book in front of her. Math was always her weakest subject, she did alright in it but she was nowhere near the best. In fact, if her math grades slipped in the slightest then her scholarship would be in jeopardy.

After eating dinner with her mother, the pair watched an old black and white film before having one of their mother and daughter talks.

"So how did you meet those charming young friends of yours?" She asked with a devilish smile.

Kohaku frowned before answering; "They aren't my friends, I only met them yesterday mom."

"They seemed pretty worried for people you had just met," Shiori pointed out.

"I don't know why they were worried; they run a host club after school in one of the music rooms. The rooms that I normally use to practice in were being refurbished so I accidently went into theirs thinking that it would be empty. They thought I was a new customer and started crowding around me and you know how I react to when people crowd around me."

Shiori nodded silently as she listened to her daughter talk.

"Well, I had an attack and I guess they felt bad because it was their fault and offered me some tea and cake and you know the rest…"

Shiori patted her daughter's knee before speaking; "Well either way, they all seem lovely. They didn't have to come and check on you but they did and they did seem rather worried, especially Honey – Kun."

Kohaku raised her eyebrow at how her mother addressed Haninozuka – Senpai but didn't comment on it.

"All I'm saying is that I approve if you want to be friends with them."

"Mom, they are all guys. You know how I am around guys…"

Shiori cupped her daughter's cheek and looked at her in the eye. "Not all men are like your father, Kohaku, you need to realise that. You can't let what happened with him stop you from living your life. Come on, time for bed. You have school in the morning and I have the early shift at the store."

* * *

><p>The next morning Kohaku walked the short distance to Ouran and sat down at the back of her class in her normal seat. As usual no one spoke to her during homeroom or in any of her classes, something she had grown used to. Most of the people here were very aware of who they were friends with and what they would gain from it and there was nothing to be gained with a friendship with a middle class scholarship student.<p>

During lunch as she sat with her homemade bento, a shadow loomed over her. She looked up in shock to see Kyoya standing in front of her, looking serious. Swallowing her mouthful of rice, she pushed her chair backwards to put some distance between them before she spoke.

"Yes, Ootori – San?"

"Nakamura – San, I would like it if you could come to the Host Club after school, there are some things that we need to speak with you about." His voice was calm but only loud enough for Kohaku to hear.

Gulping nervously, she asked; "Can we not discuss it here?"

Fixing his glasses, he sighed; "This is neither the time nor the place. If you come to the club room after seventh period, we will be able to discuss it then."

Without giving Kohaku a chance to reply, he walked off. A part of Kohaku was curious, what could the Host Club want with her? Another part was angry at the fact that they pretty much demanded to speak with her in private. She could refuse to go of course, but then they all might corner her and that wouldn't be good. No, if she was in that room, she could try and control the space between them. She would know where the door was and she was sure that they wouldn't do anything to harm her… would they?

No… if they were found out to have assaulted a female student then they would lose all of their customers.

But what did they want to speak with her about?

* * *

><p>The last three classes of the day passed slower than Kohaku would have liked, it didn't help that every so often she would glance at her watch or shift nervously in her seat before glancing at the clock on the wall thinking that her watch was broken.<p>

Quickly walking to the third music room, she adjusted the violin case on her back before entering the room. Unlike her previous visit, there was no sign of any betting games and instead they were all dressed normally in their uniform.

"Good, you came."

Kohaku looked at Kyoya before nodding; "What do you want?"

Her voice came out quieter than she wanted and it quivered slightly. She had forgotten how tall most of them were… They were really tall… and walking towards her or well… Ootori-San.

"We need to discuss your debt."

Kohaku looked confused at Kyoya's statement, what did she owe them? Did she have to pay them for the cake she barely ate? Or the water she drank?

"What debt?" Her voice was quieter as Kyoya loomed directly over her, they really were tall, she took a step backwards when they had stopped.

"When you were rushed into hospital, we were forced to close Host Club for the day. It is expected that you will cover any and all losses that happened that day."

Kohaku was in shock… He really wanted her to pay them money because she lost them a day's work? Surely they could make up the loss easily; they probably spent more money on tea and cakes than she owed them. Of course, while these thoughts raced through her mind, she could only ask one thing.

"How much?" Her voice had become slightly hoarse and her hands trembled slightly.

"The total loss for that one day was 500,000 Yen. Of course we know that you can't afford that so we have come up with a compromise." Kyoya smirked as he said compromise.

Kohaku could barely wrap her head around the figure, even with her and her mother's wages they didn't make that much in a month. What 'compromise' would allow her to pay such a vast amount?

"You can follow after Haruhi here and work off your debt."

Kohoku glanced at the small boy who grimaced at the girl; "I'm not a boy, I can't be a host." With each realization her voice became quieter.

"No but you can entertain customers with your music, according to my records you play piano and violin. I have also heard that you sing?" Kyoya asked.

Kohaku merely stared at the cunning boy in front of her in shock; they wanted her to… play? No, no she couldn't. With practice, her part time job and studying, she had no time to entertain their customers.

"No… I can't. I can't agree to this, I have other priorities but I will pay back the money I owe."

"Can you afford to pay back 500,000 yen?" One of the twins asked.

Still staring at Kyoya she answered; "I will find a way."

Turning, she quickly fled the room and jogged home with only one thing on her mind.

'How the hell will I find a way to pay them back?'


	3. Exposed!

The Host Club minus Haruhi stared at the door closed behind the girl in awe; none of them expected her to refuse the compromise. They expected her to easily accept the offer; she seemed the type to hate conflict or trouble so why would she refuse?

Kyoya smirked to himself and adjusted his glasses; "Interesting, I didn't expect this."

Honey looked sad as he stared at the door; "Do you think that Ku – Chan is mad at me?"

Haruhi comforted her Senpai; "No Honey – Senpai, she said she has other priorities which means she doesn't have time to play for the Host Club. It has nothing to do with you, Honey – Senpai."

Meanwhile Tamaki looked at Kyoya with horror on his face; "I know that look! Mommy is plotting something! Haruhi save Daddy!" Tamaki lunged at Haruhi only to be pushed down to the floor by her.

Both twins grinned at Kyoya; "What are you planning Shadow King?"

Kyoya paid no attention to the nickname and stated to the entire club.

"We are going on a field trip."

* * *

><p>Kohaku stared at the outfit she had set out on her bed, her part time job was a short walk away and she had to be there in half an hour. Satisfied with her choice, she packed her bag and left a note for her mom saying that she ate leftovers to dinner and that she wouldn't be home too late before she left her apartment and made her way to work. The entire way there, Kohaku kept glancing over her shoulder feeling as if someone was watching her but whenever she looked back no one was there. Or at least no one was following her.<p>

Glancing at her watch, she realised that she was early and smiled. She would have time to relax before she started at least, something that was rare when she was working for various reasons.

The entire Host club watched Kohaku enter the club with wide eyes.

"She works at a club?" Kaoru questioned.

"Maybe she's a stripper." Hikaru smirked causing Tamaki to panic and clutch at Haruhi.

"What? A stripper? And you brought Haruhi to this place, Mommy? I'm ashamed of you!"

Kyoya ignored Tamaki's outburst and looked at the club; "It's a teen club but it's not open so why would she go there… unless she worked there. Very interesting indeed."

"Eh? She works at a club? I thought students weren't allowed to have jobs?" Haruhi asked.

Kyoya smirked and replied; "They aren't. It's against the rules."

* * *

><p>Kohaku stared in the mirror in the small changing room that she used, her dark blue eyes now amber thanks to the contacts she bought in a costume shop. The jeans and long shirt that she wore to the club had been replaced by her stage outfit; a black and red gothic dress with a mesh underskirt that gave the skirt volume, her sneakers and plain socks now abandoned in favour of black boots and thick tights. Oddly enough, the one thing she still wore were the black lace gloves that had been a present from her mother but they fit with her look.<p>

A knock on the door caused Kohaku to turn as a blonde stuck her head in and grinned;

"Ten minutes to show time, you better put your hair on girl."

"Thanks Lace." Kohaku smiled at the club owner who left as quickly as she had arrived.

Taking a deep breath Kohaku placed the dark violet wig on her head and secured it, her transformation complete.

Now before the mirror stood Amber the performer, she grinned in the mirror and gave a peace sign before finishing the water that sat on her table.

"Amber get ready to go on!" Lace shouted from outside the room.

"I'm coming!" Amber replied.

* * *

><p>The Host club stood uncomfortably in the back of the teen club, glancing around trying to catch sight of their target but unfortunately the club was packed full.<p>

"What is this music they're playing?" Haruhi asked loudly.

"It's a western style club so they are playing western style music." Kyoya explained.

"I can't see that girl anywhere Kyoya," Tamaki said.

"Do you see her Mori - Senpai?" Haruhi asked, looking up at the tall Senpai who simple shook his head.

The music came to a stop and the lights in the club dimmed, putting the dark room in an almost pitch black state.

"Now it's time for what you've all been waiting for, the main entertainment, the one and only Amber!" A female voice announced over the stereo system as the whole club cheered, ecstatic to see this 'Amber'.

The entire Host club looked towards the small stage where a familiar looking girl stood; at least she seemed kind of familiar. The long, dark violet hair was new, and the eyes were definitely a different colour and they hadn't seen that smile before.

"Is that…?" Haruhi asked.

"No way," Both twins answered at the same time.

Kyoya merely grinned and took out his phone, 'what interesting priorities' he thought.

* * *

><p>Amber stood on the stage grinning as she waved to the crowd; "Hey guys! Welcome to Club K if you're new and if you're not welcome back!"<p>

The club screamed in response as music started to play from the sound system.

"I'm sure you all know this one so sing along if you know the words and if you don't just, dance like your life depends on it!"

"_There's a stranger in my bed, there's a pounding in my head. Glitter all over the room, pink flamingos in the pool. I smell like a minibar, DJ's passed out in the yard Barbie's on the barbeque, is this a hickie or a bruise?"_

As she sang the song, she danced up and down the stage, swaying her hips to the beat and weaving through the hands that reached out, allowing them to barely touch her before she danced away singing the chorus.

Her dancing was nowhere near the best but the personality she put into the song clearly entertained the crowd and despite her dancing, her voice never faltered, she never missed a note or a word and as she began chanting, she easily goaded the crowd into chanting with her.

As the song finished she laughed into the mic; "Well you are certainly energetic tonight! Are you guys ready for the weekend?"

A huge scream was her answer and she laughed again; "Yeah so am I, it's been a crazy week for me but the weekend is going to be crazier," she winked at the crowd.

"Now for the next song I have a guest, you guys should know him. He's the one who supplies the music when I'm not here, yes that's right! It's the one and only DJ of Club K, Ryuuski!"

Female screams could be heard as an older teenager walked on, shouting in to the mic;

"What's up Club K? Tonight we're going to be doing a duet, well sort of; you'll know what I mean when we start."

The music started and Amber immediately started singing.

The club was silent as she sang along with only a piano accompaniment; she turned to Ryuu as the chorus started and the club cheered and began to dance when the tempo of the music lifted.

Much like the previous song, Amber danced and moved with the music but this time she was focused on Ryuu, each and every lyric was directed towards the redhead until she held a note before sinking onto the stage. As soon as Amber's knees hit the stage, Ryuu began.

"_It's morning, you wake, a sunray hits your face. Smeared makeup as we lay in the wake of destruction. Hush baby, speak softly, tell me you're awfully sorry__ t__hat you pushed me into the coffee table last night so I can push you off me. Try and touch me so I can scream at you not to touch me,__  
><em>_run out the room and I'll follow you like a lost puppy."_

As Ryuu rapped, Amber slowly rose from her position and reacted to his every word, walking behind him and seemingly whispering into his ear, going to place her hand on his cheek and turning away. On stage the two reacted to each other perfectly, after all they had performed together countless times. They knew what the limits were and they knew how the other would react.

As Amber sang the final line, she and Ryuu were face to face and Amber was trembling slightly, unnoticeable to the crowd.

"_I love the way you lie."__  
><em>

Both performers grinned at each other before Amber spoke into the mic again;

"Everybody give it up for the great Ryuuski!"

Ryuu grinned at the crowd and bounded off the stage while Amber introduced her next song.

* * *

><p>Kyoya had made his way over to the bar area, followed closely by the rest of the Host Club<p>

"What can I get ya?" The bartender asked, smiling at the boy in front of her.

"Seven cokes please and some information maybe?" He smiled at the bartender as a small blush coloured her cheeks.

"The cokes I can do, not sure about the information. What do you want to know?" She asked lining up seven glasses and placing ice in them.

"That performer, Amber, how long has she worked here?"

The bartender simply smiled; "Another fan eh? She's worked here for about nine months. Started off doing midweek shows and now she has at least one performance a week unless the boss is busy. First time here?"

Kyoya nodded and glanced at the stage were Amber was still performing; "How long are her performances?"

The bartender raised an eyebrow at him; "About twenty minutes, don't think you'll get to see her though. Boss doesn't let any fans through; she says Amber deserves her privacy which I agree with. Although sometimes she'll go out and see the ones that wait, that's not often though. She tends to leave quickly" Filling the last glass she smiled at Kyoya.

"Seven cokes will be 650 yen."

Kyoya pulled out a note and handed it to the bartended who looked at it and gawped when she saw it was a 5000 yen note.

"Just let me get your change." She glanced over Kyoya again, most likely taking in the designer clothes that he was wearing.

"Keep the change as thanks for the information." Kyoya smiled and motioned for everyone to take their drink.

As they walked back to their previous spot in the back of the club, they sipped their drink.

"This tastes different from the coke that we normally drink," Hikaru mentioned.

"That's because it's the commoners' version Hikaru! Savour the flavour; they substituted the high class ingredients in favour of cost! How admirable!" Tamaki exclaimed as Haruhi rolled her eyes.

"This will be my last song tonight!" Amber shouted, catching the Host Clubs attention.

The crowd booed causing Amber to laugh.

"I know, I know but it's not quite Friday yet. I'm sure most of you have school tomorrow."

That comment earned another round of boos from the crowd.

"Alright alright, since the last song was a slow one I think we'll speed it up and heat things up with a little S&M!" The crowd whooped and bounced on their feet as she began to sing.

Tamaki on the other hand was freaking out.

"S&M? What sort of song is this? Haruhi don't listen to her words! They will sully your pure mind!"

Haruhi ignored the energetic King of the Host club as she watched 'Amber' perform. If it really was the girl from the Host Club she changed a lot, her timid demeanour had disappeared and she didn't seem to mind being centre of the attention. In fact, she seemed to love it!

"_Oh, I love the feeling you bring to me, oh you turn me on. It's exactly what I've been yearning for, give it to me strong and meet me in my boudoir, make my body say ah ah ah, I like it – like it."_

Despite the hands over her ears, she could hear the lyrics clearly and while they were clearly provocative, the beat had her foot tapping and her head bopping along to the music.

"NOOOOO! HARUHI LIKES IT! What has this Amber done to my daughter?" Tamaki cried dramatic tears and he glared at the performer on stage who was finishing the song. He puffed out his chest and tried to march up to the stage, only to be stopped by Mori holding onto his shirt.

"Don't be an idiot Tamaki," Kyoya said plainly.

"But…but…she corrupted our daughter!" Even though Tamaki was loud, he could barely hear himself over the cheers of the crowd as Amber left the stage.

"Let's go meet Amber," Kyoya smirked as he adjusted his glasses.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

**Errr Disclaimer that I only own my OC and whatever plot bunnies I find under my bed. **

**Songs used in this chapter are: **

_**Katy Perry – T.G.I.F **_

_**Rihanna f.t Eminem – Love the Way You Lie Pt. II**_

_**Rihanna – S&M**_

**Thanks to people who have added this to their favorites and story alerts and thank you very much to Chibi – Kyuubi – Chan for my first review!**

**Reviews are welcomed, I seriously don't bite not since the police warned me at least. **


	4. Agreements and Sleepy Words

Kohaku sat in front of the mirror once more, Amber had gone as soon as she removed the wig and she had done that the moment she had stepped into the small room. Placing the contacts in their case, Kohaku blinked rapidly. Wearing coloured contacts irritated her eyes if she had a long performance or if they weren't soaked properly and it seems she forgot to soak them last night.

Unzipping her dress, she stepped out of it and folded it up carefully before stripping down to her underwear and placing her ordinary clothes on. A knock on the door startled Kohaku until she realized that it was either Lace or Ryuu.

"Come in," she called out.

Ryuu walked in to the dressing room and grinned at Kohaku; "Well done girl! The club was packed tonight and they were all there for you!"

Kohaku smiled slightly before correcting him; "No, they were there for Amber."

"You and Amber are the same person, like two sides of the same coin. Either way Lace is proud, she says that if Saturday is as successful then she's going to give you a cut of the profit."

Kohaku gaped at Ryuu; "What? Can she even do that?"

Ryuu laughed "Of course she can, she's the owner and anyway you deserve it! You were amazing tonight."

Kohaku shook her head slightly; "I wasn't at my best, I trembled when you were face to face with me. That wasn't meant to happen."

"I barely noticed that so I doubt the crowd did, you've really come along since we first started performing together Kohaku - Chan. I remember if I got within a foot of you, you trembled so badly you couldn't sing."

Kohaku laughed at the memory; "Yeah, it's only you who can get that close to me though. No other guy can."

Ryuu leaned against the wall and surveyed the younger girl; "That's because you don't try, you tried with me because Lace wanted us to perform together and you said you needed the job. You just need to trust the person you're letting close, like you trusted me."

"I only trusted you because I knew Lace would beat you up if you hurt me," Kohaku joked.

"Oh! Ouch! You wound me girl! Now as much as I would love to stay here and be insulted, I have a hot date tonight," Ryuu wiggled his eyebrows as he said the last part.

"Ah, poor guy. I feel sorry for him," Kohaku giggled causing Ryuu to stick his tongue out at her.

"See you later Kohaku - Chan!"

Kohaku smiled as Ryuu left her alone, he was probably her best friend despite him being nineteen and the only time they spent together was when they worked together.

Taking a damp cloth and wiping her face, Kohaku sighed, boy she couldn't wait until she got home. A hot bath sounded perfect right now.

For the second time since her performance ended, there was a knock on her door and Kohaku thinking it was Lace merely raised her voice and told her to come in. However when she looked in the mirror, she saw a group of faces that she never expected to see at her work.

* * *

><p>Kohaku turned sharply and stared at the Host Club who now stood in the small dressing room. Panic was clear on her face and her eyes darted about the room.<p>

"Why are you all here?" She croaked.

Kyoya smirked at the girl in front and spoke; "Well, we wanted to find out what your priorities were _Amber_. Quite interesting, I thought Ouran School Rules forbid any part time job."

Kohaku gulped and opened her mouth before closing it again; she had no idea what to say.

"Now, it would be a shame if they found out about this and you lost your scholarship Amber." Kyoya produced his phone and played a video of 'Ambers' earlier performance.

"My name isn't Amber, it's Kohaku," was the only thing that came out of her mouth.

"Kohaku means Amber doesn't it? And it was you performing? With that wig right there." He pointed to the wig that now stood on its stand.

Kohaku could only turn her head guiltily and not answer the correct statement that Kyoya made.

"What do you want Ootori – San?" She whispered.

"Perform at the Host Club, work off the money you made us lose," Kyoya stated simply.

"And if I refuse you will show that to everyone and I will lose my scholarship, right?" Kohaku's voice was flat, it sounded dead. She knew she had no way out but to agree to perform for this Host Club.

"It's exactly like that." Kyoya smirked at Kohaku.

"I'll agree on one condition." She raised her head to stare at the scheming vice president who merely raised an eyebrow.

"Let me use the room to practice, when there are no customers and it's just the Host Club. I need to practice or I'll lose my scholarship."

"Easy enough, now if you'll come to our club room after school tomorrow we can go over suitable music and what you will play."

Kohaku merely nodded; resigned to her fate she clenched her trembling hands as Kyoya turned to leave the room.

"By the way Nakamura - San, nice performance," He glanced at the shocked girl before leaving.

"Kyo – Chan is right! You have a great voice, Ku –Chan!" Honey said as he left the room with Mori.

"We liked the songs you sang, particularly the last one." Hikaru added, grinning as he winked at Kohaku.

"I didn't like the last one!" Tamaki pointed at Kohaku causing her to flinch back violently, "That song was not suitable for my daughter, you dirtied her innocent mind with your filthy lyrics! How could you?"

Kohaku looked terrified as Tamaki blamed her for 'poisoning' Haruhi and had begun to tremble as Tamaki got closer and closer to her until Haruhi stepped in and pulled the overreacting idiot away from Kohaku.

"Ignore this idiot; I liked the songs you sang." Haruhi pulled Tamaki out of the room mumbling about a 'delusional idiot' as Tamaki repeatedly ask Haruhi why she didn't love daddy.

As the door shut behind Haruhi, Kohaku let out a shuddering breath and ran a hand through her hair. She had managed to not have an attack when Suoh – San was shouting at her but she was very freaked out.

Glancing at the clock that Lace put on the wall she gave a start, she had expected to leave by now, despite being a club singer, she never stayed out too late. She was paranoid she might get attacked on the way home.

Rushing out of the small dressing room, she made her way out of the club, avoiding the workers that stayed behind to clean and walked out of the door and straight into the back of her boss.

"Oh Amber, are you alright? Why did you walk straight into me?" The blonde looked over Kohaku's face before nodding, "Your pretty face is fine."

"Why are you standing here Lace?" Kohaku asked, her boss would normally be adding up the money by now.

"Ku – Chan!" A familiar voice called to Kohaku and she looked passed Lace to see the entire Host club who were being stared down by four of the workers who looked very... dangerous.

"Eh? Haninozuka – Senpai? Why are you guys still here?" She asked confused.

"You know these punks, Amber?" Lace asked eyeing the boys with distaste.

"Yeah, they all go to my school. They sneaked back to my dressing room to see me when my set finished." Kohaku ran a hand down her face, tiredness setting in.

"Oh! I'm sorry about that! Boys, back down they are Amber's friends. Sorry boys, we have to be careful there have been a lot of break-ins recently. Anyway it's nice to finally meet some of Amber's friends, she never seems to invite anyone to see her perform which is a shame, and she always does a great performance and gives the crowd a go..." Lace said before Kohaku interrupted her.

"Lace, you're rambling." Kohaku yawned.

"Right, yeah. SO are you boys coming to her acoustic set on Saturday?" Lace asked.

"No, they can't, they're busy," Kohaku answered for them.

"Well, that's a shame. I love your acoustic sets, don't get me wrong hon' you have a great stage presence but when it's just you and the keyboard, you really capture the whole room with your voice. That's true talent." Lace patted Kohaku on the cheek as the girl yawned again.

"You're tired; get moving before you fall asleep in the club entrance. Oh before I forget! Ryuu said he'd be able to duet with you on Saturday!" Lace shouted after the girl who merely waved at Lace before walking very tiredly towards home.

* * *

><p>Kyoya watched as Kohaku stumbled over her own feet as she walked home.<p>

"You'd think she was drunk," He observed as she almost walked into a pole.

Hikaru and Kaoru both sniggered as she suddenly stopped for a moment and shook her head.

"Think she'll fall asleep while walking?" Hikaru asked Kaoru.

"Nah, I don't think that's possible," Kaoru replied.

"Shouldn't we help Ku – Chan? She might get hurt!" Honey said while pouting.

"We can't have her getting hurt; she's supposed start working tomorrow. Someone carry her."

As he looked to everyone he saw they were avoiding his eyes causing him to sigh and adjust his glasses.

"She doesn't bite you know," Kyoya said.

Still no reply, he glanced at Kohaku just as she was about cross a road and walked up to her and picked her up bridal style. Glancing at her face, he saw that she was asleep or very close to it as she opened her eyes slightly and smiled up at Kyoya.

"Night Mommy," She whispered before falling asleep.

Two snorts could be heard from the twins as they heard what she muttered. Kyoya glared at the sleeping girl before continuing to walk in the direction of her house.

The twins had tried to make one joke about what Kohaku called Kyoya but they were silenced when they glanced in Kyoya's direction and took in the evil aura that caused the whole group to shudder.

The group walked mostly in silence, Tamaki tried to talk but when Haruhi shushed her Senpai, he decided to sulk at the back of the group instead.

Finally approaching the apartment that Kohaku stayed with her mom, Haruhi knocked on the door.

Shiori answered the door and looked surprised at the sight of the Host Club boys and shocked to see her daughter sleeping in the arms of Kyoya. Quietly she ushered the group in and showed Kyoya where he could place Kohaku.

As they both entered the living room, she asked the group; "What happened?"

Kyoya glared at the twins before he started to speak; "It seems that she was exhausted and as she walked home from the club that she works at, she almost fell asleep while walking so I decided it would be safer if I carried her the rest of the way."

Shiori's mouth opened in a silent 'oh' before she asked; "She let you carry her?"

Kyoya shook his head; "I don't think she realised who I was."

Hikaru interrupted with a laugh "Yeah, she called him 'Mommy'" causing Shiori to burst into giggles.

"Oh dear! That girl... Well, I don't who should be offended, you or myself. I either look like a man or you look female." Shiori sighed before continuing. "She is always tired after she performs at that club. It probably didn't help that she just got out of hospital yesterday, oh well. Thank you for making sure she was safe,"

Haruhi seemed to be in thought before she spoke; "Why were you surprised that Nakamura – Senpai let Kyoya – Senpai carry her?"

Shiori smiled sadly at Haruhi before speaking; "You probably noticed that she doesn't like being crowded, right? Well, she doesn't like being touched by men; she goes into a complete panic if it happens most of the time."

"But why?" Haruhi asked.

Shiori patted Haruhi on the head before replying; "I'm afraid it's not up to me to tell you that, she'll tell you when she trusts you enough."

A phone rang and Kyoya pulled it out and answered it; "All right then, we'll be right there."

He looked at the Host Club and Shiori before speaking; "Our cars are here."

All of the boys filed out of the apartment saying goodbye to Shiori before bickering about who would take Haruhi home.

"Ootori – San, thank you." Shiori said as Kyoya walked passed her.

He smiled at the older woman and nodded his head in response and closed the door behind him as he left.

Shiori headed into her daughter's room and fixed her bed cover which had fallen off. She kneeled staring at Kohaku for a moment before whispering;

"They're a good bunch, Kohaku, don't push them away."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Kyoya is evil isn't he? But the thing is I can totally imagine him doing that! Maybe my image of him is just a tiny bit distorted. Just a bit! **

**Anyway thanks to ****Wolflover17**** and ****Itsgoose2u**** for reviewing! && a big thanks if you have added this story to your favourites or Alerts.**

**And a happy Halloween! I hope you all have spooktacular time if you are doing something for it!**

**Dear lord, that was a bad, c_hhhes_heesy pun. **


	5. The First Day

Friday had finally come and while others were looking forward to the end of school, Kohaku was dreading it. She had to attend Host Club today and most likely perform, what she had to perform she had no idea. She could only hope that they didn't give her new pieces to play, though she had no idea what to expect. The club seemed very strange and extremely crazy, the very idea of a Host club seemed weird but they were rich kids with nothing better to do. Well, all except Fujioka – San, he had been roped into the Host club in a similar way although he had to actually host.

Despite the fact that Kohaku wished for the classes to pass extremely slowly, it seemed that within a blink of an eye the school day was over and Kohaku was standing in front of the door to the third music room. Slowly she pushed the door open and stepped inside only to be greeted by the hosts in various costumes.

"Ah, you came Nakamura – San," Kyoya said as he walked over to her.

Inclining her head ever so slightly, she allowed her eyes to take in the strange yet alluring sight of the Host Club.

"You must be wondering why everyone is dressed so differently, it seems that Tamaki decided that the theme for today would be tragic couples so as you can see every Host is dressed as one half of this tragic couple. Now let's go over what you shall play for us today."

Kyoya pulled out several music sheets and handed them over to Kohaku who scanned through them.

"I can play these on piano, is that all you want me to play?" Kohaku asked, hoping that this was all.

"Well, I would like to ask you to play a piece on your violin but I couldn't find anything that would fit with the theme. Do you have anything in mind?"

Kohaku furrowed her eyebrows in thought before pulling out her violin and beginning to play a slow, haunting song.

The entire Host club watched as the girl played, her fingers trembled giving the notes an eerie, echoing effect that only added to the emotion of the song. The piece didn't seem too complex but the emotion that Kohaku gave off as she played, with her eyes shut and her face serene only helped enhance the song and capture the listeners.

As Kohaku paused for a moment, Kyoya was about to speak, assuming that she had finished, before he was interrupted by the low, final notes of the piece.

As Kohaku placed her violin back in its case along with her bow, she glanced up at Kyoya who smiled and nodded at her. Taking this as a yes, she moved her belongings over by the grand piano that was situated by the window and started to place the sheet music in the order she would play it. The pieces while some were complex had been ones that she had learned for music class and should have no problem playing.

Kyoya walked over to the rest of the Host Club and began going over the final preparations before Hikaru and Kaoru interrupted him.

"Hey, shouldn't the performer change? She sticks out wearing her uniform," Hikaru pointed out.

"Yeah, we should put her in a dress, maybe black so she doesn't stand out too much but we'd need to measure her to make sure it fits." Kaoru mused.

Haruhi pointed it the one flaw in their plan; "She doesn't like men touching her though so you guys won't be able to measure her without her panicking. Either way, I think she looks fine."

Hikaru rolled his eyes at the girl; "You also thought it was fine to cut your hair by yourself and wear your father's clothes to school. If she is going to perform for the customers, she can't look like one of them."

Kyoya adjusted his glasses; "They are right, try and figure out a way to have her dressed appropriately before the customers arrive Hikaru and Kaoru. Without causing her to have a panic attack."

"Okay Mommy," the twins chimed in unison, hurrying away before Kyoya got the chance to glare at them.

The twins grinned as they walked over to the quiet girl and eyeing her up and down.

"What do you think Kaoru? A knee length black dress, perhaps a high neckline and cinched in at the waist."

"Hmm, yes. The dress, while modest won't look entirely horrible on her, I'm sure we have one just like you described in the costume room but will it fit her?"

Kohaku looked up at the twins who were standing beside the piano discussing some dress.

"Are you talking to me?" She asked quietly, fidgeting with her music.

"Yep, you need to give us your measurements so we can make sure the dress fits you," One of the twins, Kohaku wasn't sure which, answered with a grin.

"Umm, I'm not sure of my measurements. All I know is my…" Kohaku trailed off into a mumble which the twins couldn't hear. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"What was that?" Hikaru asked, stepping closer to hear the girl.

"Umm, err… Ahh. Never mind! I don't need a dress, I'm fine now please, please go away." She refused to meet the eyes of either twin and instead sat down to quickly go over the pieces she was to play.

"I'm afraid you do need a dress, the Host club has high standards and all of our members must be dressed to impress our customers. That now includes you, Nakamura – San. Don't worry; I've called a maid to help you with fitting the dress." Kyoya once again adjusted his glasses and Kohaku knew that she had no say but before giving in entirely, she pointed out the obvious.

"I can't afford to pay you for the dress."

Kyoya merely smiled, his glasses glinting in the light as he said; "No need to worry, it will be added to your debt. Although with your wonderful playing you should be able to pay it off in no time."

Kohaku blinked as she realised that there would be no say in this, not only would she have to wear a dress that she didn't want to wear, but she would have to pay for it.

Out of nowhere, two maids popped up and grabbed Kohaku and pulled her into the nearby changing room. The changing room was bigger than average but still it seemed small. Fortunately, Kohaku was not given time to think about the size of the changing room as the two maids began undoing her uniform and pulling it off, leaving her in only her underwear, white tights and shoes.

"Please take off your shoes, Nakamura – Sama." One of the maids requested.

"Ah, why?" Kohaku asked.

"The tights that you are wearing will clash with the dress, you will have to remove them," the other maid explained.

"O-o-okay, I guess I have to." Kohaku unfastened her shoes and slipped them off, before pulling down her tights leaving her feeling very exposed in front of these two strangers.

As soon as she had removed the offending items, one of the maids, she never did catch either of their names, pulled out a measuring tape and before Kohaku could blink was wrapping it around various parts of her body and calling out numbers.

"What are you doing?" Kohaku's breathing increased as her space was invaded and hands touched were they shouldn't.

"Taking your measurements for future outfits, Nakamura – Sama," the maids said in unison.

"Luckily, the dress that has been selected for you should fit you almost perfectly."

A black dress was held out in front of Kohaku and she hesitated before slipping it on and allowing the maid to zip it up. Once it was zipped up, it felt rather tight around her chest and Kohaku didn't like how her arms were left bare. She couldn't deny the quality of the dress though, it felt amazing against her skin and it wasn't entirely figure hugging with the skirt flaring out slightly at her hips. As the maids instructed her, Kohaku slipped her school shoes on and quickly left the changing room.

She hadn't expected the entire host club to be waiting for her though and took a step back in shock.

"It looks better than I thought, Hikaru. We really do have good taste when it comes to ladies clothes," Kaoru grinned, putting his arm around his brother.

"Ku – Chan, you look so cute!" Honey called out.

"Now you look like you are a performer worthy of the Host Club!" Tamaki exclaimed, pointing at Kohaku.

Kyoya merely nodded in approval before speaking; "The customers will begin to arrive in a few minutes, everyone to their places. Nakamura – San, please begin playing as soon as the customers enter."

Kohaku nodded and quickly walked over to the grand piano; she placed her hands on the keys and waited for her cue.

"Welcome to the Host Club, fair maidens!" A voice cried and Kohaku began to delicately press the keys.

* * *

><p>As the girls walked into the Host club, they were overwhelmed. It was a clash of various time periods and for once the room was modestly decorated allowing the girls to focus on the handsome hosts in front of them.<p>

"Welcome to the Host Club, fair maidens!" Tamaki cried out, dressed in medieval attire as he reached out and kneeled before his customers.

"My Queens, I am Sir Tamaki, one of the Hosts of the Round Table. It is an honour to be in your presence." He lowered his head as he knelt down on one knee, before looking at the girls through his eyelashes.

The girls blushed and gave out squeals of delight as Tamaki led them to their thrones for the day.

Haruhi sat with a group of girls, who starred in awe at her outfit, Haruhi was dressed in Victorian clothes that were fitting of a man of high status.

"You look so handsome, Haruhi – Kun!" A girl exclaimed, blushing when Haruhi smiled at her.

"Thank you. Tamaki – Senpai wanted us to dress up as characters that were part of a tragic romance. I am Prince Albert, who married Queen Victoria after she ascended the throne. After he died, it was said that Queen Victoria mourned his death for forty years. She only wore black to mourn her lost love." Haruhi smiled sadly as the girls sniffled.

"That's so sad!" One of the girls cried.

"Isn't it? If I were Prince Albert, I wouldn't want the love of my life to mourn for the rest of their lives. I would want them to be happy again, wouldn't you?" Haruhi asked earnestly with a soft smile causing the girls to swoon.

Meanwhile, the twins sat staring at each other with heavy eyes.

"You let her come between us Kaoru; if I couldn't have you then no one would be able to."

Hikaru tilted his brother's chin up to face him as the girls watched on with misty eyes.

"I only pretended to love her to make you jealous, but you made her fall in love with you. You were meant to come back to me, Kaoru."

As he ran his hand down his brother's chest and placed it over his heart he spoke again; "When I found out about her coming between us, I had to kill her. I wanted you all to myself Kaoru, you are all mine."

Tears leaked from Kaoru's eyes as he whispered; "Oh, Hikaru!"

The girls watched on, sniffling into their handkerchiefs with watery eyes at the sight of the tragic, forbidden love before them.

As the Club continued, tissues had to be handed out regularly as the girls cried when the stories of the tragic lovers unfolded. Kohaku played, mostly unnoticed in the background, only receiving a few glances from the customers before they became too enraptured in their hosts once more.

Only when Kohaku began to play her last piece, the one on violin, did all of the customers watch her. As Kohaku played the sorrowful piece, all talking in the room quietened as they listened to the violin cry out a haunting song.

As Kohaku finished the piece, a silence fell over the room, only to be broken by Hikaru who said; "Listen Kaoru, the music wept for us, for our loss," before embracing his brother close to him.

The girls, who had been hosted by the twins, clung to each other, crying about their tragic relationship and how it was so romantic.

As the girls left the Host club, thoroughly satisfied by their visit, Kohaku glanced at her watch before sitting back down at the grand piano.

"Eh? Ku – Chan? Aren't you going home?" Honey asked, noticing that the girl had pulled out several sheets of music and placed them on the stand.

"I need to practice," was the only answer Honey received before Kohaku's hands began to skim over the keys, not pressing them enough to make a sound, but giving the girl a feel of how the piece in front of her should be played.

"What are you practicing?" Hikaru asked, walking up behind her. When Kohaku never answered, he leaned over her shoulder to read the title of the sheet music.

"Rěverie by Debussy? Isn't that a classical piece?" Hikaru asked, still leaning over Kohaku.

"Debussy is a well-known French – composer Hikaru, his work is well known within the impressionist field." Kyoya explained while going over the day's finances.

Hikaru shrugged before going over to sit by Kyoya; "So Shadow King, what's the result?"

Kyoya smirked; "The customers loved the theme, despite the tragic sense and it seems that our performer over there was well liked too. They say she added to the atmosphere and that while her piano playing did not captivate the audience, it didn't fade into the background. In other words, she did exactly what she was supposed to; I even have a few requests for private performances."

"Eh? How did you figure all of that out?" Tamaki asked.

"Simple, the customers fill out a comment card whenever we try something new. Have you just noticed this Tamaki?" Kyoya pointed to the table by the door where a pile of cards sat, abandoned.

Tamaki muttered something about 'focusing too much on the themes' and went off to sulk in his corner when a soft song could be heard from the piano.

Kohaku's fingers slowly pressed each key, going at a slower tempo as she played the piece in front of her. Her hands moved instinctively to each note and while she made no audible mistakes, there were times where she nearly pressed the wrong key before hastily realising her mistake and correcting it.

Once she played the piece through once, she repeated it again but faster. This time there were a few audible mistakes, but nothing major, things that could easily be fixed. Once she finished playing the piece she gathered her music before realising that Honey was sitting beside the piano, watching her.

Giving a start, she spoke quietly; "Yes Haninozuka – Senpai?"

Honey grinned at her, "You were great, Ku – Chan! I really liked that song."

Kohaku shook her head, "I made a lot of mistakes and wasn't even playing it at full speed. I need a lot of practice."

Kyoya spoke from his desk, "You really are a natural at piano aren't you? Have you ever played that piece before?"

"No, that was the first time."

"You did well for someone who had never played it before."

Kohaku blushed, not used to compliments before gathering her stuff.

"I should go, I have to get home. Umm, where is my uniform?" Kohaku asked, looking around for the yellow dress and her tights.

"In that bag over there." Kyoya pointed it out, "Why are you in such a rush? You aren't working tonight, right?"

Kohaku picked up her uniform and went to go change, ignoring his question until she emerged from the changing room.

"I have to study and practice for my job tomorrow, Ootori – San. Unless there is anything else you wish to discuss with me?" Kohaku asked her voice slightly bitter as she stared at her feet.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, there was. Last night you said we were all busy tomorrow, why?" Kyoya watched Kohaku fidget with the hem of her skirt before mumbling.

"What was that?" He asked, smirking.

"I said it was because I don't want you to come to my acoustic set!" She said loudly before covering her mouth in shock.

"Why not Ku – Chan? I want to see you play again!" Honey tugged on Kohaku's hand, pouting up at her.

Kohaku stuttered at the face Honey was giving her, not at all anxious over how close he was.

"Well, uhm, I don't like people from school watching me sing. I get nervous and I mess up. Anyway, it's not an elite club so I doubt you will all like it."

"Ah! Do not judge us harshly! Haruhi here has been teaching us about a commoner's lifestyle; it would be very informative if we watched how commoners had fun! We can learn many things from the knowledge of the commoners!" Tamaki exclaimed, holding onto Haruhi.

Kohaku blinked and looked at Haruhi who just rolled her eyes at Tamaki's behaviour.

"I want to see you sing those kinds of songs again anyway," Hikaru and Kaoru both said throwing an arm over Kohaku's shoulders causing her to freeze.

Feeling Kohaku freeze up at their touch, both twins realized what they had done and removed there

Kohaku took a shaky breath and clenched her fists before trying to relax once more. "An acoustic set is different, the songs are different. You'd probably be bored watching me anyway so that's why I said you were all busy."

The lie was obvious to the whole room and Kohaku began to make her way out of the room when Kyoya spoke once more;

"And if we were to come and see you?" Without turning Kohaku knew that he was smirking so trying to seem casual she shrugged her shoulders.

"If you come and it bores you then don't complain." She threw back a forced smile at Kyoya who merely smirked at her as she left.

"Does that mean we can go see her Kyo – Chan?" Honey asked.

"She can't really stop us anyway," he replied.

"We must go and support her! She is a part of our family now and family sticks together!" Tamaki exclaimed posing dramatically while the rest shook their head at his delusions.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: HAPPY HALLOWEEN WOO. I hope that if you're going out that you have a great time, I was at a party last night and it was great. We had a visit from the fire brigade because a neighbor phoned them about candles that were light as decoration! It took a minute for us to realize they weren't people trick or treating.**

**Anyway the violin piece that is mentioned in this chapter, while not named, I kind of have this song in mind for it.**

**Sad Romance (Violin Solo) - Ji PyeongKeyon**

**Listening to this makes me wish I didn't quit violin when I was 11.**

**Thanks to those who have added this to their story alert/favorites! And thank you to Itsgoose2u and 2featherbraids for reviewing!**


	6. Discovery

Kohaku's alarm went off early the next day and she jumped out of her bed to begin preparing for the day. Despite it being the weekend, she would have little time to herself. Her morning would be filled with studying and chores then in the afternoon she had to go to Club K early and practice before her performance tonight. She had pushed all thoughts of the Host Club out of her mind as she walked back from the supermarket, shopping bags in hand when she bumped into a familiar face.

"Ah! I'm sorry! Oh, Nakamura – Senpai!"

Kohaku looked up to see Haruhi holding out a hand to her. Haruhi… in a dress. Eh?

"Fujioka - San… are you a girl?" Kohaku asked, staring at Haruhi.

Haruhi blinked before glancing at her clothes and realizing that her 'secret' had been discovered.

"Heh, yeah. It's the only way I could pay back the money I owe the Host Club. If I can get a certain number of requests then they will clear my debt."

Kohaku accepted Haruhi's hand and picked herself up from the ground before realizing that one of the bags of shopping had burst.

"Oh damn it! There's no space in the other bags." She muttered to herself.

"Do you want any help?" Haruhi asked, seeing the older girl's predicament.

"Ah, please. My apartment is just down here."

With Haruhi's help, Kohaku finally made it home and had put away the shopping.

"Would you like something to drink, Fujioka – San?" Kohaku offered.

"We have water, lemonade, coke and green tea."

After making green tea for herself and Haruhi, Kohaku led Haruhi into the small living room.

"Are you moving Nakamura – Senpai?" Haruhi asked as she took in the several boxes that laid scattered in the otherwise neat room.

"No, I was picking out my outfit for tonight. Amber always dresses up for her acoustic performances."

Haruhi studied her Senpai in front of her before stating; "You really like performing at that club."

Kohaku nodded with a small smile on her face; "When I'm on stage as Amber, it's a great feeling. Especially when I know that they have come to see me sing."

"Why do you perform as Amber, Nakamura – Senpai? Why don't you sing as yourself?" Haruhi asked, curious.

"Aside from the fact that if anyone found out I would be forced to either quit school or quit my job, when I'm Amber I'm more confident. I can sing and talk to people normally, I'm not worried about what people think about me or worried about people finding out and laughing at me."

Haruhi watched her Senpai carefully, noticing how she was more confident than she had been with the rest of the club and how when she spoke of her job; she spoke of it with love in her voice.

"I think that you shouldn't hide behind Amber, Senpai. If you can play piano and violin for others as yourself then you should be able to sing, right? You and Amber are the same person so you just need to use that confidence all the time."

Kohaku smiled at Haruhi; "I know Fujioka – San but it's much easier said than done."

Haruhi smiled and finished her tea; "Most things are but Senpai, does it bother you that much if the Host Club turns up at your performance tonight?"

Taking Haruhi's cup, she walked into the kitchen while thinking.

"I would be embarrassed I guess, I mean you all know me as Nakamura Kohaku, the quiet musician who freaks out when people get close to her. I'm completely different on stage; I'm Amber the singer who always dances just out of reach of the crowd and adding the fact that Ootori – San would probably get more blackmail footage of me performing. I guess those are my reasons for not wanting the Host club to come although I can't exactly stop them and they would probably turn up just to annoy me."

"They aren't that bad, well sometimes they are but they aren't mean. They play jokes sometimes but they would never try to publicly shame you and Kyoya – Senpai is only doing things that would help the Host Club." Haruhi tried to explain.

"That includes blackmailing me even when I pay off my debt, he could hold that footage over my head until I finish Ouran."

"He isn't that cold hearted Nakamura – Senpai, I will make sure that he doesn't."

Kohaku turned to see Haruhi looking serious as she stood there and something clicked in her mind.

"They plan to come tonight don't they?"

Haruhi grimaced and nodded not meeting Kohaku's eyes, while she only shook her head.

"I should have known. Well, sorry to seem rude Fujioka – San but I have to leave for my job soon..." Kohaku trailed off.

"Oh right! Thank you for the tea Nakamura – Senpai and good luck tonight!"

As Kohaku shut the door behind Haruhi, she sighed. Haruhi seemed nice enough, despite being friends with the Host Club and at least there was another girl in the club.

Oh who was she kidding, even if she liked Haruhi, that didn't mean she would automatically like the rest of the Host Club.

* * *

><p>As Kohaku entered Club K, she weaved through the tables and chairs that had been arranged for her performance until she found her boss talking to a familiar redhead.<p>

"Ryuu! What are you doing here?"

Both Lace and Ryuu turned to see a confused Kohaku staring at the redhead.

"I'm able to sing with you tonight, Kohaku – Chan! I thought Lace told you?" Ryuu grinned at Kohaku as realization dawned on her face.

"That's great! That means we can sing that song! Lace where's your keyboard? We need to practice."

"Same place it always is, girl, under the stage next to the spare speakers." Lace laughed as she quickly placed her bag on a table and went to pull out the keyboard.

"Come on Ryuu, if we're going to perform this song tonight then I want it to be perfect!"

Ryuu laughed and sat on the stage while Kohaku plugged in the keyboard and fixed the settings.

"Even if we didn't practice now, we'd still be perfect Kohaku – Chan. How many times have we sung this song?"

Kohaku glared jokingly at Ryuu; "Then a few more times won't hurt so shut up and sing."

After several run-throughs of the song, Lace shouted Kohaku over and handed her a glass of water.

"So are those boys that were here on Thursday coming?" She asked while glancing discreetly at Kohaku.

Choking slightly on her mouthful of water, Kohaku coughed before looking at Ryuu and Lace who were both staring at her.

"Why do you ask that, Lace?" Kohaku knew exactly why she was asking her that and the fact that Ryuu didn't seem so surprised at the mention of 'those boys' indicated that Lace had been talking about it before she arrived.

"I ask because in all of the months that you have worked here, no one you know personally has come to see you. These boys were a first," Lace huffed.

"I think so... I said they didn't have to because it would be boring for them but they will probably turn up."

Lace grinned and clapped her hands in joy; "Great! How many of them are coming? I can reserve them a table right at the front!"

"Ah, no you don't have to do that. If they come and there is only standing room or seats at the back then that's their fault."

'Let's hope that's what actually happens.' Kohaku thought to herself.

"Anyway, I should go and get ready. You open in an hour and I need to warm up," Kohaku turned to leave, missing the smirk on Lace's face.

* * *

><p>Kyoya led the group into the crowded club, it seemed even busier than the last time they had been here and the club had been split into two sections, a seated section which seemed to be full and a standing section which was almost completely packed.<p>

"I think they are all here to see Ku – Chan," Honey said, holding on to Mori while they made their through the crowd.

"She certainly is popular," Kyoya added,

"Ah there you boys are! Over here! HEY! The group of handsome guys!" A voice shouted causing the entire club to look in the direction of the owner, Lace, as she pointed to the Host Club.

"Come over here!" She urged.

Following her voice the group were led to the seating area were an empty table, close to the stage was waiting for them.

"I made sure that Amber's friends had a table close to the stage. Really, this is the first time that girl has had friends come and see her perform. Anyway, I'm Lace her boss, it's nice to finally meet you all although I haven't heard much about you. Oh well! Amber doesn't really talk about much outside of her performances, I shouldn't be surprised. Although I am surprised that she knows a group of such handsome boys..." Lace rambled on, completely ignoring the stares the twins were giving her and only stopped when Haruhi interrupted her.

"Ah, excuse me Lace – San, could you give these to Amber for us?"

Haruhi had taken the initiative to buy a small bouquet of flowers for Kohaku, hoping that she wouldn't be nervous or too mad that the Host Club turned up.

"Sure thing doll and it's just Lace, anyway I hope you guys enjoy the show," Lace winked at the group before disappearing.

* * *

><p>Amber fixed her hair and adjusted her dress as she stood in front of the mirror, the red and black cotton dress fell to her knees in ruffles as the front of the dress was laced up to cinch in the waist. As she adjusted the buckle for her shoes, the door opened behind her as Lace walked in holding a bouquet of yellow chrysanthemum.<p>

"Are you almost ready?" Lace asked, eyeing the clock.

"Yeah, just need to put my contacts in and I'm ready to go. What's with the flowers?" Amber asked, curious.

"Oh these? These are for you, your friend asked me to give them to you but if you want I can put them in water until you finish."

"What friend?"

"I didn't catch her name; she was with that group of boys who were there on Thursday."

Amber didn't know whether to smile or be angry. It was a nice thought Haruhi had, bringing her the flowers but on the other hand, it meant that the Host Club were here and that made her nervous.

"I'll just go and put these in water for you, you're on in five minutes though so move your ass girly!" Lace left the room, leaving Amber alone with her thoughts.

Nervousness and panic swept over Amber like a wave, they would see her perform and know that she wasn't just 'Amber'. They knew 'Kohaku' and would most likely think that she was weird; she was so quiet, so different in school.

'Calm down Amber, just breath.' She told herself as she took steady breaths.

'They are here to see Amber, not Kohaku. Put in the contacts and become Amber, perform as Amber and you won't notice them. They will be just another group here to have fun, to see me. You can do this!' She mentally encouraged herself.

Opening her contact case, she slipped the small contacts into her eyes and blinked.

'See you later Kohaku.' She thought as she left the room.

* * *

><p>The club was loud, music was playing quietly as people chatted, waiting for the main attraction to arrive.<p>

"Hey Haruhi, why did you buy her flowers anyway?" Hikaru asked as he leaned back in his chair.

"I feel bad that we're bothering her when she didn't want us to come and it's for good luck," Haruhi explained simply.

"But what if she doesn't like them Haru – Chan?" Honey asked.

"She will, when I was having tea with her I noticed that she had a vase of them in the living room that had begun to wilt," Haruhi said with a smile.

"What?" Tamaki exclaimed, "When did you have tea with her and why didn't I know about it?"

Haruhi blankly stared at the overreacting Senpai before answering; "I had tea with her today and you didn't know because it was none of your business, Senpai."

Tamaki blinked at Haruhi before tears began to stream down his face in a comical fashion.

"HARUHIIIII! Why are you so mean to daddy?" He wailed but of course, his 'daughter' ignored him, used to his antics by now.

"Is it safe to say that she knows that you are a girl?" Kyoya asked.

"Yeah, I was wearing a dress when she bumped into me but it's no big deal. She's part of the Host Club now, she would've found out sooner or later," Haruhi merely shrugged while Tamaki fumed.

"She saw you in a dress? I bet you looked so cute! I am so jealous of Nakamura – san! Oh how I long for the day that Haruhi wears dresses for daddy!"

"You aren't my dad you idiot! And don't cultivate mushrooms under the table!" Haruhi shouted, irritated by the behaviour of her Senpai.

"Tch, this boring. Why did we have to come as well Tono?" Hikaru asked, eyeing the club with distaste.

"We all came to support our newest club member! We must hold her to our bosom and encourage her talents to blossom like a delicate flower!" Tamaki exclaimed, miraculously recovered from his depressed state.

The house lights dimmed as a purple haired figure walked onto the stage.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I don't know why, but I really like the interaction between Kohaku and Haruhi here. Maybe because it actually shows that Kohaku isn't timid, quiet and shy around everyone. Either way, woo it's November! The year is almost finished, holy crap! 2011 has passed so quickly, it's unbelievable.**

**Anyway, thank you to ****Itsgoose2u ****for reviewing once again! And thank you to those who have added this story to your alerts/favorites!**


	7. Another Side of Me

Amber peeked out at the crowd and was pleased to see that the club was packed but she was not glad to see that the Host Club were in the seated area and while not directly in front of the stage, they were still really close and rather obvious, at least to her.

Her hands shook as she clenched her fist before she took a calming breath and walked onto the stage. Sitting behind the keyboard, she glanced around the club with a smile before speaking;

"Hey guys, I'm Amber. Most of you will have seen me perform during the week and have probably been to one of my acoustic shows before but for those who haven't, welcome and I hope you enjoy my performance."

Her voice was quieter than normal as she spoke, her eyes glancing in the direction of the Host Club every so often. Taking a breath she allowed her fingers to glide over the keyboard.

As she began to sing, all thoughts of the Host Club had passed from her mind, all she could think about now was the song flowing from her hands and her lips. It was just her and the keyboard; there was no audience, no stage and no outside world.

"_If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks then I will follow you into the dark."_

Playing the last notes, she finished the song and smiled as the audience clapped and cheered.

* * *

><p>The Host Club sat through the performance in relative silence, only broken when Honey and Tamaki cheered whenever she finished a song bringing her attention on the loud pair and causing a light blush to form on her cheeks.<p>

Haruhi watched her play with great interest, now she knew what Lace meant on Thursday when she said that Amber could capture the audience. There was no dancing and the little crowd interaction was made with smiles and looks yet somehow the whole club was captivated by her voice.

Despite it being Amber up on the stage, Haruhi couldn't help but feel Kohaku's personality as she sang. The songs all seemed to be slow and quiet yet her voice could be heard perfectly throughout the club.

"Now for the last song of the evening," Amber said.

"Now if this isn't your first acoustic set with me then you'll know that I normally have a guest singer. It's the same for this performance now please give a warm welcome to a close friend of mine, Ryuu!"

The chemistry between the pair on stage was almost visible as they sang, the glances between them and the passion in their voice only added to the performance. It was clear that the two were either very close or very good actors.

* * *

><p>Amber smiled as she walked off stage, feeling as exhilarated as she always did after an acoustic set. There was something different about singing along to the music she played, a sense of accomplishment. After all, anyone could sing along to backing tracks but to be able to sing while playing, this was something she believed showed real talent.<p>

Instead of changing back into her normal clothes, Amber sat in the changing room with a smile on her face. She had done it, she managed to perform in front of them and didn't screw up, in fact the only time that she noticed them was at the beginning of the performance and whenever she heard Haninozuka – Senpai and Suoh – San cheering for her but otherwise it was so... so _easy_ to pretend they were just strangers, like the other people in the club, people who didn't know her as Kohaku, just Amber.

A loud knock broke her from her trance and she opened the door and poked her head out.

"There you are! You have some fans outside who want to see you," Ryuu said, grinning down at the small girl.

"Great, you'll come out with me as well won't you? You probably have some fans out there too," Amber twirled a piece of the wig between her fingers while looking up at him.

"I suppose I have to. Someone needs to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't scare Lace's customers away," Ryuu winked at the girl and led her out of a back entrance were around a dozen people, not including the Host Club who stood off to the side, were waiting to see her.

"Hey guys! Thanks for coming to see me!" She grinned at them.

* * *

><p>The Host Club watched as the girl spoke with those who had waited behind to see her, signing the odd autograph and posing for a few pictures. She seemed to be rather familiar with several of the fans which suggested she already had a small fan base. As they watched, all of them realised how different she acted when she was 'Amber', she was talking openly with her fans and even laughing!<p>

"Hey Tono, don't you think it's weird that she acts so different when she is dressed like that?" Hikaru asked, eyeing the girl.

"Yeah, it's like she's another person completely," Kaoru said.

"Maybe… she has a split personality." Both twins said, causing Tamaki's eyes to widen as he recalled 'Black Honey' and Kyoya's 'other' side.

"Mommy! What's Kohaku – Chan's blood type?" He asked, holding onto Kyoya's arm.

"Why do you assume I would know that, Tamaki?" Kyoya asked blandly.

"…You don't?" The twins asked staring at Kyoya who merely adjusted his glasses as he pulled out his phone.

"Her blood type is A."

The twins and Tamaki breathed a comical sigh of relief at the fact that she didn't have a split personality.

"Maybe Ku – Chan is self-conscious?" Honey added.

"If she was self-conscious then she wouldn't be able to perform like that, Honey – Sempai," Hikaru said.

"I think he's right, Hikaru. Nakamura - Sempai is self-conscious but Amber isn't," Haruhi said.

"Tch, that's stupid. They're both the same person!" Hikaru pointed out.

"To you maybe, but I don't think it's that way to Nakamura-Sempai. When we were having tea, she spoke as if Amber was a different person," Haruhi informed the group.

"Oh poor Kohaku! How terrible she must feel about herself for her to take on a new personality! With our help she will be able to transform in to a confident woman that I will be proud to call my daughter!" Tamaki exclaimed, rather loudly grabbing Amber's attention as she waved off the few fans that were left.

* * *

><p>Amber hugged the teddy that a girl had given her, it was the same shade as her wig and extremely soft. As the last of the fans left, she turned to the Host Club who were talking about something that she couldn't quite hear but as she walked up to them<p>

"Did you enjoy the show?" Amber had directed the question towards Haruhi but as the girl opened her mouth to answer, she was cut off by an enthusiastic Tamaki.

"Your voice was beautiful! It was like a siren calling to my heart, a lullaby for a troubled mind. Oh, I loved it!" He exclaimed, eyes glittering in exaggerated adoration.

Amber blinked before ignoring him and looking at Haruhi expectantly.

"You were good, Nakamura-Sempai," Haruhi said with a smile.

Amber gave a sigh of relief and smiled at Haruhi; "Thank you, Fujioka – san."

"Hey, Kohaku – Chan, what do you want me to do with this cake?" Ryuu asked as he walked up holding a white box.

"Oh yeah! It's the first time a fan has ever baked me a cake, I don't want to throw it away. Lace didn't want it?" Amber asked as Ryuu held the cake away from her.

"Nah, she's on another diet she says," Ryuu said while rolling his eyes.

As Amber bit her lip in thought, she caught sight of her small, blonde Sempai on top of the shoulders of Morinozuka-Senpai.

"Ah! Haninozuka-Senpai, would you like the cake? It has strawberries in it so I can't eat it and I don't want to throw it away since the girl worked hard on it, I know that it's not like the expensive cakes you're used to…" Amber trailed off as she looked at her Senpai who grinned and held his hands out for the box. She couldn't help but grin at him, he really was like a little child, he was SO CUTE!

"Why didn't you just tell the girl that you couldn't accept it?" Hikaru asked.

"If one of the clients made you something as a gift, would you accept it?" Amber asked Hikaru.

"Well yeah, otherwise they might not come back to the Host Club if we reject them," Hikaru answered.

"Yes, because you hurt their feelings. It would've been the same with that girl, she didn't have to make me a cake, and it's not her fault that I'm allergic to strawberries. It would have been rude to decline the cake but I did tell her my favourite flavour in case she makes it again."

Amber turned and headed back inside, followed closely by the Host Club.

"Why are you following me?" Amber asked, feeling just a little freaked out.

"We want to talk to you some more," Hikaru and Kaoru said simultaneously.

"Right… I'm going to get changed."

Amber gave the twins a strange look before hurrying into her dressing room.

* * *

><p>Ryuu had ushered the boys and Haruhi into the main club where Lace was sitting at a table counting the club's intake for that night.<p>

"Have a seat guys, Lace and I want to have a little talk with you," Ryuu said taking a seat beside Lace.

The Host Club exchanged glances warily before sitting down in the chairs that had been arranged for them.

No one spoke for a moment while Lace finished sorting out the finances and when she was finished with that, she looked up at the boys and Haruhi with a serious face.

"Now I don't know how Kohaku met you lot but even though you seem like a nice bunch, I will warn you now. If you hurt her in anyway, you will regret it. That girl never speaks about school or friends, she tends to avoid the subject all together but the fact that you've come to see her perform means that she trusts you to a certain extent, I'm warning you now. Do not break that trust otherwise Ryuu and I will find out and we won't be too happy," Lace stared down the Host Club as Ryuu sat there, silently.

"We have no intentions of hurting Nakamura-Senpai," Haruhi said.

"Even so, just keep it in mind. That girl is like family to the both of us and we don't want to see her hurt."

A silence fell in the room as Lace finished speaking, only to be broken as Kohaku walked into the room with her bag.

As she glanced at everyone seated and took in the silence she spoke;

"Am I interrupting something?" She asked nervously.

Lace grinned, easily slipping back into her happier mood, and spoke; "Nah chick, I'm just having a chat with your friends here but never mind that, you were great tonight!"

Kohaku blushed slightly and grinned, proud of her performance; "It went really well, the whole club was packed!"

"Of course Kohaku – Chan, you're becoming our own little star," Ryuu teased as he folded his arms behind his head.

"And our little star needs to get paid, so get your butt over here," Lace picked up a pile of notes and put them in an envelope.

"Here ya' go, your weekly pay and a bonus for a full house tonight. So in total it's 40,000 yen, well done girly," Lace winked at Kohaku as she handed the shocked girl the envelope.

Kohaku was speechless as she stared at the envelope, she knew Lace was talking about giving her a bonus if the place was packed but she didn't expect anything near that much.

"Now before you leave, remember that the club won't be open for the next two weeks," Lace reminded her as Kohaku nodded. Lace's younger sister in America was getting married and so she had to be there.

"I remember Lace; your flight is on Monday morning right?" Kohaku asked.

"Yup and when I get back, I'll let you know what nights you have to come in but for now, just enjoy your time off!" Lace stood up and hugged the girl, who eagerly returned it.

"You really should get going, it's already dark outside and I hate you walking home, especially since you have that envelope," Lace said worriedly, biting her lip.

"I will I'm just going to say bye to Ryuu."

* * *

><p>As Kohaku left Club K, she glanced back at the Host Club who had followed her out.<p>

"Umm, what are you doing?" She asked.

"We're going to walk you home, Ku – Chan!" Honey said enthusiastically while Mori nodded.

"I'll be fine; you guys don't have to do that..." Kohaku trailed off as she glanced at her Senpai.

"But we want to! If we walk you home then you won't get hurt in any way!"

Kohaku blinked before smiling slightly and murmuring thanks. As the group began walking, Kohaku drifted towards Haruhi and started talking to her, while Tamaki and the twins looked on.

"Hey, Tono... Kohaku-Senpai seems to be getting awfully close with Haruhi," Hikaru pointed out.

"Well of course she would! She is Haruhi's sister after all! They will become close and form sisterly bonds!" Tamaki exclaimed, while imagining Haruhi and Kohaku in dresses, skipping and holding hands.

Kohaku stared at Tamaki while he skipped around, with stars in his eyes, obviously in a completely different place in his head.

Glancing at Haruhi, she saw the younger girl roll her eyes and asked; "Is he...?"

"Yeah, he's always like this, don't worry you get used to it and you'll be able to ignore it."

While staring at Tamaki, she slowly nodded her head in understanding.

Hikaru grabbed Tamaki, literally pulling him out of his daydreams before whispering to him;

"Tono, think about it. If Haruhi becomes good friends with Kohaku – Senpai, maybe she'll start acting like a girl!"

Tamaki gasped in realization and once again, began daydreaming of Haruhi, in a dress, with long hair, acting extremely girly.

"Yes! We must push them together and encourage their sisterly bonds so that Haruhi will realize that she IS a girl!" Tamaki exclaimed loudly.

"I already know I'm a girl, you idiot. Don't make stupid plans like that!" Haruhi scolded Tamaki who immediately became depressed at being over heard.

Kohaku watched on, unable to look away, as Tamaki sniffled like a child and cried to Haruhi while she ignored her Senpai's childish antics.

She couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips at the absurd scene before Kyoya spoke;

"Isn't this your apartment, Nakamura-San?"

Kohaku turned and glanced at the building before realizing that he was right, they had already arrived at her home. Blinking, she stared at the several, expensive cars that were parked in front of the building before turning to Kyoya with questioning eyes.

"I called them to pick us up from your apartment, how else did you think we would get home?"

Kohaku didn't reply, but her eyes flicked towards Haruhi who was walking to her side.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Tamaki will make sure she gets home fine."

As Kohaku began to walk up the stairs, she turned when Honey called out her name, turning she was surprised to see most of the Host Club waving at her as they began to climb into their cars. Waving back, she couldn't help the small smile that graced her lips.

'_Maybe Fujioka – San was right, maybe they aren't that bad.' _She thought to herself as she entered her small home.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hi there again! Happy November! I really like the way Lace and Ryuu act in this chapter all protective of Kohaku! In the beginning they weren't supposed to play that big of a part but they sort of demanded more lines and yeah. ~_~ **

**Erm, thanks to all who have added this to their alerts/favorites and big thanks to Itsgoose2u and 2featherbraids for reviewing! Reviews actually make me happy because I'm weird like that.**

**The song featured in this chapter was "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" Originally by Death Cab For Cutie but I'm sort of obsessing over a cover on YouTube by KurtHugoSchneider, you should totally look it up if it's your kind of music.**

**OH and for reference 40 000 yen is roughly £320.**


	8. Equations and Outbursts

Kohaku stared at the page in front of her; the numbers had begun to merge together as if they were laughing at her. Groaning lightly, she allowed her head to fall on the book, it was hopeless, no matter how hard she tried, she could not understand these damn equations. Her teacher had informed her that there was a test tomorrow and she needed to get at least 70% or she put her scholarship in jeopardy and with the way things were going right now, she knew that attaining even 50% was a long way off.

As she attempted another equation, she felt her hopes lift slightly. Right now, she wasn't getting any weird answers; maybe she had finally gotten the hang of it. As she finished the equation, she grabbed her answer book to check if she had gotten it correct.

Scanning the answer, she let out a loud groan,, her answer was nowhere close to the answer given in the book. She was so doomed.

* * *

><p>The rest of the Host Club looked over as they heard a groan coming from Kohaku.<p>

"What's wrong with Ku – Chan?" Honey asked, worried.

"She is studying for the maths test tomorrow, judging by the groans we have heard, it doesn't seem to be going well," Kyoya said as he went over the club's budget.

"Haruhiiiiii! You should go and help her! That way you two can bond over studying and become even closer!" Tamaki said, finger in the air.

"Idiot, she's in the year above me. We haven't covered whatever she is doing so I can't help her," Haruhi stared at Tamaki through narrowed eyes as he began to sulk in his corner.

"Erm, excuse me Ootori – San," Kohaku's voice caused them all to turn to the girl as Kyoya looked up from his laptop.

"I was hoping that maybe you could help me study for the test tomorrow..." Kohaku's voice was quiet, as if she was nervous about asking.

"Why don't you ask Tamaki?" Kyoya asked.

Kohaku didn't answer but instead cast a strange glance at Tamaki who had not emerged from his gloomy corner.

"Why should I help you?" Kyoya asked, adjusting his glasses with a smirk on his face.

Kohaku clenched her fists tight as she answered; "Because if I fail this test I might lose my scholarship and then I won't be able to play for the Host Club."

Silence fell between the pair before Kyoya stood up; "Very well."

Hikaru, Kaoru and Haruhi looked on in shock as Kyoya and Kohaku walked over to where her books were sitting and began to work.

"Did she just..."Hikaru began.

"Blackmail the Shadow King?" Kaoru finished.

"I think she did...subtly, but she did," Haruhi said, looking at her Senpais.

"Whoa... she's evil." The twins chimed, looking at their Senpai in a new light.

* * *

><p>Kohaku listened intently as Kyoya explained where she was going wrong in the equations.<p>

"So instead of substituting this equation here, you would only need to use the value that you get once you solve the first equation."

Furrowing her eyebrows she asked; "So if I solve that equation first, then use the value for x in the second equation. I should get the right answer?"

"Exactly, what you were doing was simplifying the first equation but not solving for x, that's why you never got the right answer."

Kohaku nodded in understanding and attempted the question that Kyoya had written down for her. She was trying hard to keep calm at the small space between the pair and the fact that with every breath she took, she could smell the expensive cologne he wore. It was a pleasant smell, masculine yet not overpowering like many colognes.

She knew that Kyoya wouldn't hurt her, that to cause herself to panic would only cause trouble for herself. After all, she had asked him for help and he couldn't help her if he was sitting far away from her. She just had to try and face her fear head on, without his help she would definitely put her scholarship at risk and that was not acceptable.

"Are you listening Nakamura – San?" Kyoya asked, irritation leaking through his calm voice.

"Ahh, sorry Ootori – San."

"You asked for my help with this so please pay attention instead of daydreaming."

Embarrassed at being scolded, Kohaku couldn't help the blush that crept up on her cheeks as she murmured an apology.

"Try and complete this page of equations and when you are done, check your answers. If you have any problems, just ask."

As Kohaku began the questions in her book, she couldn't help but glance at the boy sitting beside her. He was typing away on the laptop that never seemed to be too far away from him and his eyes were partially hidden by his glasses. He looked just like a normal teenager, a well dressed teenager, but normal nonetheless.

Blinking rapidly, she focused again on the equations in front of her, following the instructions that Kyoya gave her; she was able to finish the page much quicker than she normally would and she was ecstatic when she compared her answers to the ones in the book. She had gotten every single equation correct!

"I assume by the smile on your face that you have finally managed to do the equations correctly," Kyoya said, giving the girl a sidelong glance.

Kohaku nodded eagerly, scarcely believing that she had gotten every one right.

"Turn the page and try those equations, they are harder but if you just apply what I taught you, you should be able to complete them correctly."

* * *

><p>Kyoya typed furiously onto his laptop, he had long finished the weekly budget for the Host Club and now he was determined to find more information on the girl beside him. Despite using all of his resources, he only found out the very basic information; her recent medical history, her middle school records and various things that he had noted down.<p>

Accessing her school file, he noted that there was no mention of a father which was strange as even Haruhi's file mentioned her deceased mother.

Clearing his throat he spoke; "So Nakamura-San, what does your father do?"

From the corner of his eye, he gauged the girl's reaction. She had frozen and her grip on the pen tightened to the point that the pen had begun to break.

'Interesting, so her father is a sensitive subject.' Kyoya thought, noting this down.

He waited for a response from the girl but was shocked when she changed the subject completely.

"Ootori-San, I can't seem to get these two equations correct but I don't know where I'm going wrong," Kohaku smiled at him, a smile that was obviously fake and Kyoya knew that pushing the father topic would be a bad idea.

With a sigh, he examined the two questions that she pointed to and realised her mistake instantly.

"Nakamura – San, it appears that you have forgotten a very basic thing. You do remember what BODMAS is don't you?"

"Ahh, BODMAS is the order you solve things isn't it? It's Brackets, Orders, Division, Multiplication, Addition and then Subtraction?" She looked up at Kyoya for confirmation.

"Exactly, now look at how you have answered these two and see where you have gone wrong."

Kohaku furrowed her eyebrows as she re-examined the equations before letting out a small 'oh!' in realization. As she erased her previous work, she quickly wrote down her working and answer for both questions before comparing them with the marking guide.

"I got it right!" She exclaimed, a grin on her face.

"Well done Nakamura – San, although maths isn't your best subject, you are competent enough to maintain at least 75 -80% average if you work hard."

* * *

><p>Kohaku nodded as Kyoya spoke, still happy that she had managed to complete two pages of equations and only having to redo two equations! That was a personal best for her!<p>

"Thank you for helping me Ootori – San," Kohaku said, smiling at the boy beside her.

"There is no need to thank me, Nakamura – San. If you lose your scholarship then you won't be able to play for the Host Club and that would be most unfortunate."

Kohaku blinked at Kyoya before bitterness seeped into her stomach.

'Right, this is just for the Host Club.' She thought.

"Do you hate me Ootori – San?" Kohaku asked quietly.

She couldn't stop the question that slipped through her lips and while she regretted voicing it, she was curious to know his answer.

"Hating you would not benefit me in the slightest," Kyoya answered.

Kohaku frowned at the cryptic answer; did that mean he didn't hate her? That he was completely indifferent towards her?

Instead of answering the girl simply gathered her things and made to leave, still thinking over his answer.

"Eh? You're leaving already Kohaku-Chan?" Tamaki asked.

Kohaku froze as the self proclaimed king spoke to her.

"But you haven't even practiced today! Are you alright? Are you feeling sick?" Tamaki fussed over the girl as she clenched her fist.

"I don't need to practice today, I am alright, I don't feel sick," Kohaku muttered, she wasn't lying. She had arrived early in the morning and practiced before school, she also spent all of music class on the piano and most of her lunch-break practicing.

"You don't need to practice, Nakamura – San? You said if your grades drop in the slightest then your scholarship would be in jeopardy, are you sure you have practiced enough to prevent your music grade from dropping?" Kyoya asked, his voice patronizing the girl.

"Yeah, we don't want you to leave Ku- Chan! We like having you here!" Honey exclaimed as he hugged Usa-Chan.

Kohaku lifted her head and looked at Kyoya who merely smiled at her, her stomach twisted and at that moment she could not help but feel annoyed at Kyoya, annoyed and very angry.

She narrowed her eyes slightly and walked over to the piano, placing her bag on the floor and sat on the bench. Flexing her fingers, she began to play the piece that she had been given to practice at almost full speed. As she played the notes that she had memorised, she felt her anger washing away bit by bit and was finally able to enjoy the music flowing from the piano.

When she finished playing she grabbed her back and before leaving the room, she looked at Kyoya and spoke clearly;

"I believe that answers your question Ootori – San, in the future I believe I should be the one to determine if I need to practice or not."

Despite not feeling as angry, Kohaku couldn't help the iciness in her voice as she spoke to Kyoya. What he had said to her earlier had just made her so mad; he had used such a patronizing voice and had even smiled! He was so impossible! She had overheard the nickname that the other hosts had given him; 'The Shadow King' and right now she thought it fit him very well.

* * *

><p>The next day, Kohaku stood in front of the door biting her lip nervously. She had to face the Host Club after her outburst yesterday, or well her childish fit. After she had calmed down on the way home yesterday, she had been horrified with how she had reacted towards Kyoya; sure he had deserved it but still! She had been completely out of line and in all honesty, she wouldn't have been surprised if they refused to let her play and just exposed her secret to force her to leave Ouran.<p>

She timidly opened the door and instead of being immediately shouted at when she entered, she only got smiles from the Host Club members. Walking towards the group warily, she hesitated before bowing low in apology.

"I am very sorry for my behaviour yesterday!" She said with her eyes shut tightly.

When her apology was met with silence, she continued;

"I shouldn't have acted out like that and I understand if you don't want me to play anymore but please don't expose my secret!"

Opening her eyes, Kohaku startled at the brown eyes staring up at her sadly causing her to straighten up to look at her Senpai.

"We wouldn't do that, Ku – Chan!" Honey exclaimed while Mori nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, we aren't that evil. Hell, you don't really have to apologize, you didn't do anything wrong yesterday," Kaoru said lazily.

"Yeah, in fact it was cool how you stood up to the Shadow King, seems you're just as evil as he is, Nakamura – Senpai," Hikaru grinned.

Kohaku blinked and looked at everyone, noticing that there were no glares being shot at her. In fact they were smiling at her, well with the exception of Kyoya but she didn't really count him.

"We wouldn't expose your secret Kohaku! You are part of our family now, my beloved daughter!" Tamaki said while he moved to hug the girl, who quickly sidestepped the hug.

"You're really not mad?" Kohaku asked.

"Even if we were mad Ku-Chan apologized so we wouldn't be mad anymore!" Honey smiled up at the younger girl who returned it meekly.

"Now that you're finished, we can discuss the activities today, Nakamura – San. I have an interesting idea I would like you to try out," Kyoya said, his trademark smile on his face.

Kohaku just stared at him, fear creeping in at whatever idea he had thought up and knowing that she had no way out of it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hello again! For some reason I had trouble with this chapter, maybe it was the math talk, or maybe it was the fact that I kind of wanted this to be all fluffy and sweet but Kohaku and Kyoya refused. Either way, here is chapter eight!**

**As usual thanks to those who have added this to your favorites/story alerts and thanks to ****Itsgoose2u,****2featherbraids**** and ****TykiPyon**** for reviewing! **

**Also since ****2featherbraids**** asked for the 40,000 yen in US dollars, I looked it up and it is roughly $512. **

**I hope you had a nice bonfire night if you are in the UK!**


	9. Girl Love!

Kohaku fidgeted as Kyoya explained his 'interesting idea', she didn't find it interesting at all. In fact, she found it horrible, an absolutely terrible idea which would never work.

"Please pay attention, Nakamura – San. All you have to do is play something that the customer requests and talk with them, we aren't asking you to become a host, at least not right away," Kyoya smiled as he finished talking.

"Now if you'll step into the changing room, I believe there is a dress waiting for you."

Silently, Kohaku walked into the changing room and looked at the dress hanging up for her. The dress seemed overly fancy but Kohaku had come to terms with the fact that nothing was ever simple with this club. As she slipped the dress on, she noticed the matching flats that sat beside the door,.

'Well, at least they aren't heels.' She thought to herself, resigned to the fact that she would have to wear what outfit was prepared for her.

Examining herself in the mirror, she frowned at the dress, the navy blue flattered her skin tone and hair and the dress didn't look horrible on her. In fact, she couldn't find a reason to refuse to wear it, something that annoyed her greatly. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she stepped out of the changing room with her uniform placed in a bag.

"So do you like it?" One of the twins asked.

"Yeah, it's pretty. Did you pick it out..."Kohaku trailed off not knowing which twin was in front of her.

"Kaoru, I'm Kaoru," he grinned only to receive a sharp smack on the shoulder from Haruhi.

"Hikaru, don't confuse her. Jeez you two are terrible," she muttered.

"Right, anyway Kaoru picked it, said it would match your eyes, guess he was right."

Kohaku blushed lightly as Hikaru stared at her face before grinning and walking off to talk to his younger twin.

Kohaku went over to the piano and sat on the bench, for some strange reason people were requesting her. It wasn't supposed to be like that though; she was only supposed to play the piano for the guests. They had never said anything about HOSTING them but then again, Kyoya probably planned this. The boy really was evil.

* * *

><p>Aiko Suzuki walked into the Host Club nervously, it was only her second visit after all, and she hadn't quite gotten used to the extravagance that the Host Club planned every day. Another reason for her nervousness was due to the fact that she had requested the newest addition to the Host Club, Kohaku Nakamura. Aiko couldn't explain the feelings that rushed through her as she listened to the girl play and while the other girls were busy talking to Haruhi, she barely paid attention and simply listened to the music weaving through the air.<p>

Aiko had always had a passion for piano, unfortunately she was unable to play it as well as she would have liked despite the various tutors her parents had hired. It seemed that she was only doomed to be able to listen to the beautiful pieces and not be able to play them.

As she walked up to Kohaku, Aiko cleared her throat nervously and spoke to the younger girl;

"Hello Kohaku – Chan, I'm Suzuki Aiko, I'm in Class 3A and I hoped you'd be able to play for me."

Aiko really was nervous; she had no idea how to introduce herself without sounding stupid or too eager. This was something that she definitely wasn't used to.

"Hi Suzuki –Senpai, do you have anything in mind that you want me to play?" Kohaku asked, giving Aiko a small smile.

"Please just call me Aiko and no, not really. I don't mind what you play," Aiko sat down on the sofa placed by the piano.

Kohaku began to play, her fingers delicately gliding over the keys, smiling as each note sang perfectly. It was obviously a song she had played many times as she seemed to be more absorbed in the music than watching her hands.

Aiko closed her eyes and let the simple melody drift through her mind, a small smile on her face as she listened to the piece that Kohaku played. Before she knew it, the piece had finished and Kohaku herself was left with a serene smile.

"I'm jealous of you, Kohaku-Chan," Aiko said as she looked at the younger girl who blinked, startled at the statement.

"Eh? But why Aiko – Senpai?" Confusion was clear in Kohaku's voice as she looked at Aiko.

"You can play piano so beautifully and you look so blissful while playing, I wish I could do that."

"Then why don't you learn?" Kohaku asked.

"I've tried, my parents hired many tutors but I just don't seem to have any talent with it," Aiko looked down sadly before Kohaku stood up and grabbed the older girl's hand.

"Even if you aren't naturally talented at it, you should still try Aiko-Senpai, especially since you enjoy it so much."

Kohaku led the girl to the piano bench and indicated that she sit beside her. Kohaku placed Aiko's right hand on the piano and placed her own on top of it, causing Aiko to blush at the contact.

"If you just follow what my fingers do, we can play a piece together Senpai," Kohaku said with a smile.

Kohaku gently pressed her fingers on Aiko's causing the girl to slowly play gentle notes, as she helped Aiko play, she added her left hand and begun to play along. Aiko smiled as she 'played' the piano, she knew that she wasn't really playing but the feeling of the keys beneath her fingers was almost as beautiful as the noise the produced.

Soon enough, Aiko was able to play the repetitive sequence without Kohaku guiding her fingers and while Kohaku played the more complicated part, Aiko still felt proud of her small accomplishment.

"See Senpai, anyone can play piano. Just because you don't have natural talent, it just means you have to practice harder," Kohaku said as she finished playing.

"Yeah... you're right, Kohaku-Chan."

Aiko looked up the younger girl and smiled; "So how long have you been playing piano, Kohaku-Chan?"

"I only really started when I was ten because my mom couldn't afford private lessons, I had to be taught in school but I've been playing violin since I was able to hold one properly, my mom taught me violin using her own so we didn't need to buy one for me."

"Your mom plays?" Aiko asked curiously.

Kohaku's eyes darkened and she looked at the keys sadly; "Not anymore but she used to be amazing. I remember when I first heard her playing, I was really young but I was amazed at the sounds that she was able to make."

"I'm sorry Kohaku-Chan... is your mom...?" Aiko trailed off, not wanting to finish the question.

"Oh no, she's alive but there was an... accident when I was younger. Her hands were injured and she can't strain them too much anymore so she can't play."

Aiko stared at the younger girl for a moment before pulling her into a hug which startled Kohaku. Pulling back from the hug, Aiko smiled at Kohaku who returned it gently before speaking;

"Senpai, your hair colour is really pretty."

Aiko blinked before glancing at a strand of her brown hair, trying to see what was pretty about it. It was a colour that was nowhere near unique and was shared with many of the other girls in the school.

"Ah, thank you Kohaku-Chan but it's just a boring brown."

"Oh but when the sun hits it, it has this red tint. I'm jealous of it," Kohaku smiled at her Senpai causing a blush to spread over her cheeks.

Aiko stuttered, embarrassed at the compliment and could barely manage a smile when Kohaku placed her hand on Aiko's forehead and brought her face closer, frowning.

"Are you ok Senpai? Your face is red, you don't have a fever do you?"

Aiko shook her head and laughed nervously; "No no, I'm fine it's just a little warm in here."

Kohaku smiled and Aiko couldn't help but look at the girl in a different light, her smile seemed so genuine, Kohaku seemed so genuine. When she had spoke of her mother, it was with clear adoration, she wasn't trying to manipulate Aiko's emotions. There was absolutely nothing manipulative about this girl, something that was rare in Ouran.

"I can open the window if you like, Aiko – Senpai?" Kohaku asked.

Aiko shook her head and smiled; "I'll be fine, Kohaku-Chan but could you play another piece for me?"

Kohaku nodded and placed her hands on the keys; "Do you have anything in mind Senpai?"

"Something soft and gentle please." '_Like you,_' she thought.

Kohaku bit her lip in thought before she began to play softly, losing herself in the music, unaware of Aiko who was now staring at Kohaku with a small smile on her face. Aiko watched Kohaku with admiring eyes, taking in the way her fingers glided over the keys, how her hair would fall out of place when she moved her head, how her eyes slid shut as she became fully absorbed in the music.

Aiko was definitely glad that she had designated Kohaku.

* * *

><p>Kohaku finished playing the piece and looked over to Aiko who grinned at her, she was glad that her first 'customer' had been Aiko-Senpai, the girl was easy to talk to and they had a mutual interest, something that made this so much easier. It seemed that Host Club was almost finished as the majority of the guests were leaving so Kohaku stood up and smiled at Aiko.<p>

"It was really nice to meet you Aiko –Senpai, I hope you had fun."

"I did Kohaku-Chan; I think I will request you another time, if that's okay?" She asked.

Kohaku grinned and nodded; "I'd like that, we can play on the piano again!"

Aiko grinned and turned to speak with Kyoya, most likely to request Kohaku again.

Haruhi walked up to Kohaku and smiled; "How was it?"

"Better than I expected although I can't help but think that Ootori-San planned this," Kohaku mused.

"It wouldn't surprise me Nakamura-Senpai, he seems to have everything planned out, even things that happen suddenly," Haruhi said dryly.

Kohaku smiled at the younger girl; "Call me Kohaku, Fujioka – San. After all, we're friends now, right?"

Haruhi nodded; "Alright but you can call me Haruhi, Kohaku-Senpai."

"Deal, so Haruhi-San I was actually wondering something," Kohaku trailed off, biting her lip nervously.

"What is it Senpai?"

* * *

><p>"Yo' Tono, don't Haruhi and Nakamura – Senpai look friendly?" Kaoru asked, causing all of the hosts, minus Kyoya, to turn and watch the two girls.<p>

"Oh! My daughters are finally bonding! What a glorious day! Mommy look! They are developing those sisterly bonds!" Tamaki stared at the two girls, tears of joy pouring from his eyes.

"Neh, Tono. What if it's more than sisterly bonds?" Hikaru suggested.

"More than sisterly bonds? What can be more than that? Don't be silly!" Tamaki brushed away the suggestion with ease.

"But think about it; Nakamura-Senpai hates being too close to men, not men and women, just men. She didn't seem to have a problem with talking with her guest earlier; didn't you think it was weird how close she got to the guest?"

Tamaki blinked as he slowly realized what Hikaru was insinuating before laughing nervously; "Now you're being stupid, Hikaru! They are sisters! That's all they are..." Tamaki trailed off as he heard Kohaku laugh and smile.

He turned his head in shock as he witnessed Kohaku pull the younger girl to her side and begin whispering in her ear, Haruhi was even blushing! But of course, this was Tamaki, so what really happened was very different from what he saw. In fact, Kohaku was only laughing at how Tamaki only noticed Haruhi was a girl when he saw her student ID but Tamaki didn't know this.

Tamaki pulled the Host Club into a close huddle to discuss what he had 'seen';

"What do we do? Mommy! Help!" Tamaki pleaded.

"Tamaki, you are overreacting," Kyoya said blandly, annoyed that he had been pulled into the huddle.

"I only have Haruhi's best interests at heart! I don't want my daughter to be snatched away by that girl!" Tamaki whispered.

"You are making assumptions based on very few facts Tamaki, don't be a prat."

Tamaki blinked before whimpering and retreating to his corner, a gloomy atmosphere surrounding him as he cried about 'a mean Mommy.'

It was a complete coincidence that the corner that Tamaki had chosen was close enough to overhear their discussion and it was also a coincidence that he managed to overhear their plans, plans that didn't involve the rest of the Host Club.

* * *

><p>"So we'll go shopping after school on Friday?" Kohaku confirmed.<p>

Haruhi nodded and smiled, Kohaku had asked the younger girl if she would go clothes shopping with her and Haruhi had agreed to come along. Not only would it give her a chance to get to know her Senpai better, but it would also give her a break from whatever schemes the Host Club came up with and god knows she needed it.

Feeling a familiar atmosphere, she turned to see a moping Tamaki who was quietly sniffling in his corner for some reason that Haruhi assumed was probably stupid. Ignoring the gloomy atmosphere, she began to pack up her belongings and waited for Kohaku to emerge from the small changing room.

"Where are you going Haruhi?" Hikaru asked, throwing an arm around the girl's shoulder.

"I'm going home with Kohaku-Senpai; I need to get home so I can cook dinner for my dad anyway."

"Tch, why are you going home with her? We can take you home in our limo," Hikaru frowned.

"Don't be stupid Hikaru, it doesn't take long to walk home and Kohaku-Senpai lives close to me anyway."

Haruhi shrugged off the older twin's arm and walked with Kohaku, pausing to say goodbye to the Host Club before leaving.

* * *

><p>"This is bad! Kohaku is obviously in love with Haruhi and is trying to take her away from us!" Tamaki exclaimed.<p>

"Yeah, she doesn't realise that Haruhi is only talking to her because she's the only other girl, Haruhi doesn't feel the same way," Hikaru said,

As Tamaki told the twins his plot to follow the girls on Friday, Kyoya let out an irritated sigh, he was best friends with an idiot.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, Tamaki and the twins obviously have an active imagination! And we have a new character! Her relevance in the plot is still unknown (sort of) but I wanted to show a different point of view that wasn't Kohaku or any of the Host Club. Yes! There is actually a plot, I just need to develop relationships and stuff before we delve into it. **

**So right now I am running on 4-5 hours sleep and 2 cups of coffee, yay! Last night I went to a 21****st**** Party and oh god, it was so fun. There was belly dancing and a power cut in the restaurant we were eating at, so we ended up sitting in the dark for half an hour. –Random information-**

**Anyway, thank you very much for adding this to your story alert/favourites! And a big thank you to ****2featherbraids**** and ****Itsgoose2u**** for reviewing again! ^~^**


	10. Secrets and Shopping

The rest of the week past mostly without incident, Aiko continued to request Kohaku at the Host Club and Haruhi would walk home with Kohaku most days, something that Tamaki and the twins hated. Hikaru didn't attempt to hide the looks he was giving Kohaku, openly glaring at her whenever she spoke to Haruhi.

Kohaku once again, sat with Aiko at the piano, teaching the girl a fairly simple piece while they spoke about trivial things.

"So what does your family do, Aiko-Senpai?" Kohaku asked, genuinely curious.

"Eh? Why do you want to know that Kohaku-Chan?"

"No real reason, I just want to get to know you better Senpai," Kohaku smiled up at her Senpai who merely stared before blushing.

"My father is CEO of the Suzuki Corporation which is a security company."

Kohaku blinked, she had expected something much more extravagant but of course, she had heard of the Suzuki Corporation. They had dealings with numerous police forces all over the world and a large number of businesses paid for the hi-tech security that they could provide.

"Are you heir to the company, Aiko-Senpai?" Kohaku asked.

"Yes, I'm an only child so when my father retires I've to take his position."

Kohaku smiled and continued to play while Aiko merely watched, obviously distracted by the conversation.

"I think you'd be very good at that, Aiko-Senpai."

Aiko cleared her throat, embarrassed by the straightforward compliment that Kohaku had paid her, before changing the subject.

"What about you Kohaku-Chan? You've never spoken about your father, what does he do?"

Kohaku stumbled, hitting a serious of wrong notes, startling the older girl who watched as she paused to clench her fists, shielding her eyes with her hair.

"He's...not around anymore."

Aiko waited for a further explanation but when Kohaku didn't continue, she presumed that her father was a sensitive topic for the girl although she was curious why.

"I see... how did your performance on Wednesday go?" Aiko quickly changed the topic, eager to wipe away the tense but sad look on her face.

Kohaku's voice was strained as she spoke, clearly trying to hide her uneasiness regarding the previous topic;

"I played the piece perfectly, Sensei was glad but I told you Aiko-Senpai, it wasn't a performance."

Aiko laughed; "I know and I told you that if you were playing a piece for an audience then it was a performance, it being set by the teacher doesn't change that fact."

Kohaku gave a small smile at Aiko's explanation, she didn't agree with it but it made her smile nonetheless.

"Oh, Host Club is almost finished," Kohaku said, realising the time. She seemed sad at that fact and this made Aiko secretly happy.

"Yeah, it is. Say Kohaku-Chan, I was wondering if...well, if you'd like to come over to my house today, I know it's sudden but I sort of hoped we could play together on the piano and talk more..."

Aiko was now blushing, embarrassed about asking the younger girl over and she was silently praying that the girl wouldn't laugh or scoff at her request despite knowing that Kohaku wasn't the kind of person to do that.

"I'm really sorry Aiko-Senpai, I would love to but I already have plans with Haruhi-San..."

Aiko's throat felt dry as Kohaku refused her invitation, her eyes flickering between Kohaku and the aforementioned host.

"Right... don't worry about it, it was a silly idea anyway."

"It's not silly but perhaps we could do it some other time? I really am sorry, Aiko-Senpai."

Kohaku sounded sincere as she stared at Aiko; regret clear on her face, those emotions cheered Aiko up by a small amount as she believed that Kohaku wasn't lying. Well, she knew Kohaku wasn't lying, she wasn't the kind of person to do that sort of thing.

"It's alright Kohaku-Chan; I should have known you would have been busy anyway. Well, I think I'll go and speak to Kyoya-kun about designating you next week, if you don't mind."

Kohaku grinned; "I'd be happy if you designated me again, Senpai."

* * *

><p>Kyoya glared at the back of Tamaki's head, his annoyance with the boy reaching its peak. Not only had he been forced to come to this commoner's mall, but Tamaki had the guts to force him to dress up. Of course, he could have just left but someone had to babysit this prat and make sure they didn't do anything too troublesome.<p>

He didn't bother trying to tell Tamaki and the twins that they were most likely wrong about Kohaku's sexual preference, it would just go in one ear and out the other so why waste his breath? Tugging at the ridiculously thin black tie that Tamaki had instructed him to wear, he mentally made a note to get back at Tamaki for this.

Although he had to admit that it was interesting to visit the mall, there were many stores that sold fashionable clothing at cheap prices but obviously the quality wouldn't be close to those that he wore but still it was...admirable in a way that the commoners strived to look good on whatever little money they had.

Letting out a sigh, he rolled his eyes as the Hosts tried to hide from the gaze of Haruhi as she glanced behind.

'Idiots' he thought, they were painfully obvious even in their 'disguises' and he was pretty sure that Haruhi had spotted them already.

* * *

><p>Kohaku raised an eyebrow as Haruhi glanced behind her for the fifth time in the last ten minutes, following the younger girl's gaze, she was shocked to see a very familiar group of boys behind them and as soon as they realized they had been spotted, they hurried off into various shops.<p>

"Is that the..." Kohaku was shocked to say the least, she hadn't expected the boys to follow Haruhi and her.

"Yeah, bunch of idiots probably think we haven't seen them." Irritation was practically written over Haruhi's face as she started walking again.

"What do we do?" Kohaku asked, entirely unsure if they should confront the boys or just ignore them.

"Ignore them, hopefully they'll give up...or maybe get lost," Haruhi muttered the last part.

As the girls entered a clothing store, Kohaku felt uneasy. Did the boys not trust her with Haruhi? Were they offended that she hadn't invited them to come shopping too? It had crossed her mind but it was an idea that was quickly brushed away, no doubt they would criticise her clothing choice, embarrass her or be completely bored out of their minds.

Kohaku saw Haruhi eyeing up a pale summer dress and encouraged the girl to try it on, as she waited for the girl to emerge from the changing room, her thoughts drifted back to the Host Club. She had grown oddly comfortable with them, almost used to the way they acted over the past week. Of course, she would still freeze up if the twins forgot her aversion to being touched and put an arm around her but unlike before her breathing would not change.

She had to admit that when the Host Club weren't hosting, they were downright comical and had made her smile and laugh a number of times with their silly actions.

"Ah, Kohaku-Senpai can you help me?" Haruhi asked, sticking her head out from behind the curtain of the changing room.

"What's wrong?" Kohaku asked.

"I can't seem to tie the straps of the dress."

* * *

><p>Tamaki peeked out from between the rack of dresses in time to see Kohaku disappear into the changing room, the same changing room that Haruhi was using. His face paled as he imagined the worst scenario, a scene in which Haruhi was being harassed by a scheming Kohaku while she was changing.<p>

"NOOOO, HARUHI DADDY WILL SAVE YOU!"

Without a seconds thought, Tamaki charged into the changing area and pulled back the curtain revealing Haruhi standing, not being harassed, as Kohaku grinned at the girl. Both girls turned to Tamaki, shock on their faces.

Tamaki blinked before realizing that Haruhi was wearing the sundress that she was examining earlier;

"Oh Haruhi! You look so cute! Daddy is so proud!"

"What the hell are you doing here?" Haruhi growled.

Tamaki flinched at Haruhi's tone, edging backwards as he noticed the killing intent radiating from Haruhi.

"Ah...see...Daddy was just trying to protect your purity! Don't kill daddy!" Tamaki cowered behind Mori as the rest of the Host Club arrived.

"Haru-Chan looks cute!" Honey exclaimed, the curls in his blonde wig bouncing with every word.

The twins examined Haruhi with a critical eye, commenting on the quality of the dress, or lack of before Haruhi shoved them away.

"Protect my purity from what?" Haruhi asked her Senpai.

Tamaki puffed out his chest and pointed at Kohaku who was standing behind Haruhi looking bewildered.

"Protect your purity from that she-devil behind you!"

* * *

><p>There was a moment of silence as Kohaku blinked in shock, had he really just called her a she-devil? Why did he think that she was a she-devil? She hadn't done anything...she-devilish, had she?<p>

"Senpai, will you stop spouting such drivel?" Haruhi exclaimed, shooting down the accusation with ease.

Tamaki's face fell as Haruhi stared at him but luckily for Tamaki, the twins shot to his defence.

"Tono's right though, she was going to use this trip to try and seduce you obviously," Hikaru tried to explain, nodding towards Kohaku.

"Seduce...me?" Haruhi glanced back at Kohaku who looked as confused as she felt.

"Why would Kohaku-Senpai try to seduce me?" Haruhi asked, looking for some sort of explanation.

"Because she is a lesbian!" Tamaki exclaimed, pointing at the girl once again.

Kohaku blinked as another awkward silence fell between the group before giggles escaped from her, it wasn't long until the girl was bent over, clutching her stomach as she laughed harder than she had done in a long time.

When Kohaku had finally calmed down, she noticed that everyone was staring at her and embarrassed by her hysterical moment, she blushed slightly before speaking;

"I assure you Suoh-San, I'm not a lesbian."

"No no! Do not try to deny it, Kohaku-Chan! It's obvious! You detest males and obviously prefer the company of women. We won't judge you! We just don't want you to sully Haruhi's purity!"

A knot formed in Kohaku's stomach before she stepped out of the small cubicle, she clenched her fists and frowned.

"I don't _detest_ males," her voice lowered as she spoke.

"Then why do you freak if a guy touches you?" Hikaru asked.

Kohaku opened her mouth to speak but her mind couldn't form an answer that wasn't a lie. She felt like a goldfish as she floundered, trying to find an answer that wasn't the truth but wasn't a lie either.

"I... had a bad experience with men when I was younger."

It was obvious that explaining, even that much was difficult for the girl so Haruhi spoke;

"Senpai, you don't have to explain to these idiots."

Kohaku looked up at Haruhi who smiled gently at the girl, nodding she took a steadying breath before going to stand over by her belongings.

"You should get changed back into your clothes, Haruhi-San. We can't spend all day in this shop."

The subject change was obvious but no one commented on it, Haruhi did what Kohaku suggested, leaving Kohaku standing with the Host Club in an awkward silence.

* * *

><p>As Haruhi and Kohaku exited another store, followed by Tamaki who had been given the job as 'bag carrier' as punishment for following them, the mood around the group had lightened mostly thanks to Honey's babbling and strange questions but still, there was no longer an awkward silence.<p>

"Ah, Haruhi-San over there. I want to go into that shop before we leave."

Kohaku led the group into a small music shop where she browsed the shelves, looking for a certain CD.

As she examined the shelves, Haruhi picked up a CD and was surprised to see that it was English.

"Senpai, why do you like this music anyway?" Hikaru asked as he glanced at the CD she had picked up.

"I grew up with it, my mom loves Western artists and I guess that taste rubbed off on me," Kohaku explained.

"Your mom can speak English?" Kyoya asked.

"Fluently, she never told where she learned it though..." Kohaku trailed off, thinking about it.

"Oh well, it doesn't matter. Let's pay for these and head home."

As the group left the mall, Kyoya was filled with intrigue at the new information he had learned, well it seemed that Kohaku was full of surprises.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hello again! While this chapter may seem filler-ish it does hold information that is relevant to the overall plot so don't worry! I pretty much have the entire plot pictured in my head, now it's just getting it into chapter form. ;D**

**As always a big thank you to those who add this story to their favorites/story alerts and a big thanks to the following people for reviewing; ****xXBloodyCandyCaneXx****,**** Itsgoose2u****, ****2featherbraids****, ****Aubrey09 ****and**** scizzors****!**

**I am so glad that people are enjoying this story and I always welcome reviews that contain constructive criticism, so I won't get mad if you point out any mistakes or things you think I can improve on. **


	11. Fun at the Fair  Part I

Kohaku sat, wedged between a twin and Mori, in the back of a limo still trying to understand what had led to her being practically dragged out of her apartment.

She remembered the knocking, the very loud, incessant knocking that woke her up and remembered her mom telling her to get dressed which she had done albeit she was still mostly asleep while doing so and then she remembered her mom pushing her out of the front door into a waiting group.

As she glanced around the limo, she took in the fact that the entire Host club was there, chattering away or well everyone except Haruhi, Kyoya and herself were chattering away.

"Where are we going?" Kohaku wondered aloud.

"Why Kohaku-Chan, we are going to a commoners fun fair!" Tamaki explained, pulling out a leaflet advertising the fun fair.

"You dragged me out of my bed at 8am on the weekend to go to a fair?" Kohaku huffed, annoyed that she didn't even have a choice.

"B-b-b-but Kohaku-Chan! We all _have_ to go! We're a family!" Tamaki whimpered, pouting like a child.

Kohaku glanced at his pitiful expression before sighing; "Right but in the future a choice would be nice, and the chance to wake up on my own."

Kohaku couldn't help but give in to the childish look on Tamaki's face; he only had good intentions, right?

* * *

><p>Kohaku twitched in annoyance, as soon as they had arrived at the fair everyone seemed to pair off and disappear, leaving her with a sleeping Kyoya who had been placed on a bench. There was a part of her that just wanted to walk away without a second thought about the boy but that part was being overpowered by her conscience.<p>

Plopping herself down beside him, she glanced at Kyoya hoping to see signs of him waking up, unfortunately the boy seemed to be in a very deep sleep. Taking the chance to examine the boy further Kohaku noticed that his normally neat hair was messy as if he had just gotten out of bed and his face looked peaceful, relaxed. Realizing what she was doing, she blinked and turned her gaze to the sky, hoping that Kyoya wouldn't be asleep for too long.

* * *

><p>Kyoya opened his eyes slowly, realizing that he was no longer in his bed, in his room and most likely not even in his house. He didn't even have to think about who would dare move him while he was sleeping, only one person would be stupid enough to do that. As he looked around he realized he was sitting on a bench in a park somewhere and that there seemed to be some sort of Fun Fair on.<p>

Sighing, he stood up and checked his pockets, Tamaki had remembered to put in his wallet but of course he had forgotten his phone, typical.

"Oh! You're awake."

The feminine voice caused Kyoya to look up in surprise, standing in front of him holding two bottles of water was Kohaku.

"Here."

She held out the unopened bottle for Kyoya who took it wordlessly, he paused for a moment before asking;

"Were you waiting for me?"

Kohaku nodded, somewhat sheepishly before replying; "Yeah… I felt bad about leaving you on the bench yourself and when I went to ask everyone else about you they had all rushed off."

Kyoya wasn't surprised that they had all rushed off, or well most likely in Haruhi's case, was dragged away but he couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised at the fact that Kohaku had sat with him, it was strange to say the least.

There was an awkward silence between the pair before Kyoya cleared his throat;

"Thank you for the water, by the way."

Kohaku nodded in acknowledgement before glancing around nervously.

"I think we should try and find everyone," Kyoya stated, adjusting his glasses before looking around.

"Yeah..." Kohaku said, trailing behind the taller boy.

* * *

><p>Kohaku glanced around the fair, it had just left 10AM and it was starting to get slightly busier so she had hoped to find the rest of the Host Club quickly before more people arrived. Turning her head slightly, she noticed that Kyoya was taking a great interest in all of the stands that were set up around the park, almost as if he had never seen them before.<p>

"Have you been to a Fun Fair before Ootori-San?" She asked.

"No…and even if we did it wouldn't have been a commoner's fair."

Kohaku knew he didn't mean the insult but still…she couldn't help but shoot a glare at his back as he walked up to a games stall.

"What is the point of this game?" Kyoya asked.

Kohaku blinked at the question before walking up to the stand and giving the man enough money for three shots.

"It's simple, try and get the hoop around the ring. If you do, you get to pick a prize."

Kohaku scanned the assorted toys before pointing at a stuffed panda and nodding to herself.

She narrowed her eyes in concentration as she tried to judge how much force she should put behind the throw, thinking she had the right idea she threw the first hoop only for it to fall short of the desired ring. Pouting at her failure, she tried again, this time though, she put far too much force behind it and the hoop missed the ring completely.

Kohaku let out a huff of frustration before trying to line up her last hoop with the ring, as she threw it, she hoped that it would really be third time's a charm but unfortunately today it didn't seem like it would be.

As she glanced at Kyoya she mumbled; "It's obviously fixed."

Turning around, she glanced at the nearby stands, having been literally kicked out of her house this morning she had no time to grab breakfast and boy, was her stomach reminding her about it. Completely forgetting about the boy behind her, she followed her stomach to the sweets vendor who was currently selling candyfloss.

As she walked back to where Kyoya was standing, she was surprised to see him holding the stuffed panda that she had pointed at earlier.

"You can't just take that you know..." Kohaku said, glancing warily at the man who was currently occupied with a pair of young children.

"I'm shocked that you think I would stop that low, I won it actually. It seems that the game isn't fixed... you are just bad at it."

Kohaku glared at the tall boy but the effect was rendered completely useless by the piece of candyfloss hanging from her mouth.

"Whatever."

Kohaku turned and began to walk again when Kyoya caught up with her, carrying the stuffed panda awkwardly.

"It seems you don't want this anymore, shall I find someone to get rid of it?" Kyoya said, eyes scanning the crowd for a small child.

"Eh? For me?" Kohaku asked, shocked at the act of kindness.

"As repayment for the bottle of water of course."

Kohaku didn't listen to his reasoning and quickly took the panda from his hands, giving the animal a tight hug.

"Thank you, Ootori-San," Kohaku grinned up at him.

Kyoya adjusted his glasses while he spoke; "Call me Kyoya."

Kohaku smiled and hugged her panda once more while whispering; "Thanks Kyoya-San."

* * *

><p>Kyoya was surprised at how happy Kohaku was after receiving such a cheap toy, the smile she gave him was possibly one of the few he had seen her give and yet it seemed so...bright. Just why did that panda mean so much to her?<p>

"Aren't you a bit old for stuffed toys, Kohaku-san?" Kyoya probed, hoping to find out why a simple thing made her so happy.

"Maybe... but the panda brings back happy memories," the girl murmured through her candyfloss.

"Oh?" Kyoya wondered.

"Yeah...my dad... he gave me a stuffed panda when I was five years old. I...lost it when I was older. I wish I didn't...it reminded me of happier times."

Kyoya mentally took note of how her voice lowered, saddened when she spoke of the past, of her father.

"Is your father dead?" He asked, noticing how Kohaku held onto the panda tightly as he spoke.

"Yeah...dead." Kyoya had to step closer to hear the barely uttered words.

Kohaku cleared her throat before changing the subject to the missing Hosts. Kyoya continued to examine the girl as she spoke, somewhat awkwardly, and noticed that she seemed to keep a distance between the pair, something he had grown used to but it still intrigued him as to why. She had no problem with Haruhi, so what was it about men that scared her?

_What exactly happened to cause her to fear everything male?_

* * *

><p>Kohaku scanned the slowly forming crowds, hoping to spot a pair of twins, or maybe a short brunette being pulled along by an enthusiastic blonde but she was out of luck, heck she couldn't even see the giant form of Mori with Honey on his shoulders. She couldn't help but wonder where the heck the other Hosts had disappeared to? Surely the Fun Fair wasn't that big and they had noticed that they had two members missing... but then again the only one likely to notice anything would be Haruhi...and maybe Honey and Mori but still!<p>

Oh, it wasn't that she didn't like walking around with Kyoya. She didn't mind the silence that fell between the both of them but he was just too damn smart, noticing things that others would wave off and most likely noting them down in his head. Being around the too observant boy made her feel like all of her secrets were written on her face, plain as day, for him to read whenever he wished and she didn't like it. There was a reason she kept her secrets, she didn't need to share them with anyone!

Although...it was rather sweet of him to give her the stuffed panda and while he may have only been showing off when he managed to win that game, he still chose the panda she pointed out and proceeded to give it to her. Maybe he wasn't as evil as she thought but then again...maybe he was trying to get her to lower her defences and spill her heart out to him.

Glancing at her watch, she realized that it was nearly eleven am. She had been here for almost three hours and had barely done anything! Well...it was her choice to stay with Kyoya, but they had been walking around for an hour already? It didn't feel like it was that long.

"So Kyoya-San..." Kohaku turned to speak but stopped, realising that Kyoya was nowhere to be seen and now all she could see where many people, families, friends, all together while she had been separated from Kyoya.

"Ah, Kyoya-San?" She called out, feeling helpless as she struggled to see above the heads of those surrounding her.

Gripping tightly onto the panda, she couldn't help but feel like a child who had lost their parent, as her head turned, trying to find the tall boy. Realising that trying to look through the busy crowd was useless, so she made her way to an empty patch of grass, free from the grasps of the crowd. As she made her way to the empty spot, she was approached by three, rather intimidating men in suits.

"Are you Nakamura Kohaku?" The blonde man asked.

Kohaku wordlessly nodded, clenching her panda in fear and unknowingly stepping backwards.

The second man, bald but with dark facial hair pulled out a phone and dialled an unknown number as Kohaku began to panic. Who were they and what did they want with her?

"We found her...yes...we'll keep her here until you arrive."

Kohaku's eyes darted between the three men as her thoughts began to race, who was going to arrive?

"Ah...there you are Kohaku-san."

Kyoya's voice brought her out of her panic as she noticed all three men bow to him. Her confusion must have been clear on her face because Kyoya went on to explain who the strange, or at least strange to her, men were.

"I was...worried when you disappeared so I contacted my family staff. I know that you don't handle crowds well so I thought it would be best if I found you before you slipped into a panic attack. We don't want you causing a scene now do we?"

The question was obviously rhetorical and a part of Kohaku was wondering if he truly was worried about her or if he didn't want her to panic and eventually embarrass him.

While she was lost in her thoughts, it seemed the three men...bodyguards, disappeared and Kyoya beckoned for Kohaku to come forward.

"I know you don't like being close with men Kohaku-San but to prevent us from being separated again, I ask that you try and bear with it."

Kohaku was unsure what he meant until Kyoya began walking beside Kohaku, leaving little to no gap between the pair.

Gulping, Kohaku said mentally; 'Right Kohaku, just bear with it for now."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hello there! I apologize for the late update. I don't really have an excuse except that I didn't really know how to start this chapter and that my older brother bought Skyrim and I may or may not have been playing it _**

**Anyway, woo hoo for Fluff! Or well as fluffy as Kyoya would allow, as the title suggest this chapter is in two parts and I should (hopefully) have the next part up either tonight or tomorrow as an apology for the late update! **

**As always thank you for the story alerts and favorites! And a huge huge huge huuuuuuuge thank you to the following people for their lovely updates; ****2featherbraids****, ****scizzors,****MISCharacter ****and ****Itsgoose2u****!**


	12. Fun at the Fair  Part II

Kohaku had slowly begun to wonder how big this bloody fair was, they had been walking around for at least half an hour ever since they got separated and there had been no sign of any member of the Host Club. Heck, how did a group of loud teenagers just disappear in a fair...

Kohaku's thoughts trailed off as she realized what group of teens she was thinking about, really with them anything was possible. Unknowingly she let a sigh escape her lips, something that didn't go unnoticed by Kyoya.

"Is something wrong, Kohaku-San?" Kyoya inquired, looking downing at the girl with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah, no I was just thinking that it shouldn't be this hard to find everybody else."

"Am I boring you, Kohaku-san?" Kyoya asked, causing the girl to stutter in embarrassment.

"N...n-no! I'm not bored at all Kyoya-San! I enjoy your company very much! I mean..." Kohaku trailed off, wondering what to say to cover up her mistake until she saw the echo of a smirk on Kyoya's face. Realizing that he was teasing her, she let out a barely audible 'humph.'

Kohaku sighed, realizing that looking for everyone else was hopeless, they would appear when they wanted to and instead of looking for them she should enjoy the fair.

"When was the last time you visited a fun fair, Kohaku-San?" Kyoya asked, glancing down at the girl.

Kohaku didn't even need to consider the question, she could remember the last time she visited a fair like this.

"When I was five... there was a fun fair on my birthday so instead of a party, my mum and dad took me to the fair. I still remember everything so clearly, there was a petting zoo and I rode around on a pony. We played the games in the stalls and my dad won a panda for me, I was so happy even though it was only a toy. _We_ were so happy...it wasn't long after that that things changed."

Kohaku's voice lowered as she spoke, clutching the panda to her stomach as she walked, unaware of Kyoya surveying her.

"At least you have that happy memory Kohaku-San." Kyoya said in an attempt to comfort the girl.

"Yeah... better than nothing, I guess," Kohaku replied bitterly.

* * *

><p>Haruhi sighed in exasperation as Tamaki dragged her to yet another game stall, the older boy's excitement for the fair rivalled that of a young child, it was really baffling how he had so much energy and how he seemed to...sparkle all the time. Despite the exhaustion caused by being dragged around the fairgrounds several times, Haruhi couldn't deny the fact that she enjoyed herself it had been a long time since she had been to a fair and Tamaki's idiotic antics made things even more amusing... or well when they weren't involving her.<p>

"Haruhi!"

Haruhi turned to the voice or voices in this case to see the Hitachiin twins waving at her as they walked up and slung an arm around her shoulder possessively.

"Finally we found you! We've been looking for you ever since Tono stole you away!" Hikaru said, glaring at their Senpai.

Tamaki was too entranced by the game to even notice the appearance of the twins and when he finally finished the game, losing of course, he turned dejectedly to Haruhi only to freeze at the sight of the twins.

"You doppelgangers! Why are you here?" He shouted, pointing at the grinning duo.

Hikaru smirked and pulled Haruhi closer to himself; "Well Tono, we both think that the fair is boring with Haruhi so we decided to come and steal her from you!"

Hikaru stuck his tongue out at the blonde who gaped, stuck between shock and anger as they began to walk away. Tamaki snapped out of his frozen state and chased after the trio, wailing about the evil doppelgangers.

"I wonder what everyone else is doing," Kaoru pondered absentmindedly.

"Honey-Senpai and Mori-Senpai are probably at a sweets stall, Kohaku-Senpai is most likely with them and Kyoya-Senpai...is probably very pissed at Tamaki right now," Haruhi said as Tamaki shivered at the thought of a pissed off Kyoya.

"He's going to kill me," Tamaki whispered, trying to hide behind Haruhi.

"And it will be your own fault Senpai, you dragged him out of bed asleep and then abandoned him at a Fun Fair so don't try and hide behind me." Haruhi said, without a hint of compassion for the now ghostly white Tamaki.

"Haruhi! Why won't you protect your daddy? You're supposed protect daddy from mommy!" Tamaki exclaimed, trying to cling to the younger girl.

"Idiot! You aren't my dad so stop saying that!" Haruhi shouted, prying off Tamaki's arms.

"Hey isn't that..." Kaoru said.

"Kohaku-Senpai and Kyoya-Senpai?" Hikaru finished, looking over at the dark haired couple who were sitting at a table eating.

Tamaki gaped at the sight before pulling the twins and Haruhi behind a stall, peeking out from behind it to watch Kyoya and Kohaku.

"Tono why'd you pull us into hiding here?" Hikaru asked, rubbing his neck.

"Can't you see? They are obviously on a date! Mommy is cheating on daddy, oh mommy how could you?" Tamaki wept dramatically, a stream of tears flowing from his eyes.

"A date?" The twins gasped in unison.

"They must have planned to meet up when everyone was distracted so as to not draw suspicion! I always knew that Kohaku was up to no good!" Tamaki exclaimed.

'_But the other day you thought she was a lesbian..._' Haruhi thought to herself, knowing if she said it she would most likely be ignored.

"Ne Tono, shouldn't we confront them?" Hikaru asked.

"No no, we must watch them to gather evidence before confronting them with it! Only then will they be proved guilty!" Tamaki said, pointing at the couple in question.

"Senpai, have you been watching detective shows again?" Haruhi asked.

"Eh? Is it that obvious?" Tamaki asked, blinking at Haruhi.

* * *

><p>"I didn't think you would like fast food Kyoya-San," Kohaku said as they got up from the table.<p>

"While it's not my preferred choice, I doubt I would find something to cater to my taste here. Anyway, it is a commoner's fair is it not? To enjoy it properly I must take part in every aspect, even consuming commoner food."

Kohaku blinked at the explanation, she had no idea how to reply to that so she settled for a very eloquent "Ehh?"

Kyoya chuckled before continuing; "As Tamaki would say; 'When in Rome, do as Romans do.'"

Understanding dawned on Kohaku before she smiled and nodded; "It sounds like something he would say...he is weird though."

"Yes but that is Tamaki, he is a strange idiot... but his heart is always in the right place, even if he does the stupidest things," Kyoya glanced behind him just in time to see a blonde head of hair attempt to hide behind a pole.

"How long have you been friends with Suoh-San, Kyoya-San?" Kohaku asked.

"I wouldn't say we were friends... but I met him in my last year of middle school. He was just as stupid back then too," Kyoya smirked at the memory of a younger Tamaki.

"You talk about him as if he is your friend..." Kohaku said, staring ahead as they walked.

"Because I call him stupid?" Kyoya asked, somewhat confused.

"No...Well sort of. It's how you say it, Kyoya-San. You don't say it to be mean, you say it as a friend would say it," Kohaku explained.

Kyoya smirked; "Maybe."

* * *

><p>Tamaki struggled to hear what the two teens were discussing but they were smiling, or well Kyoya was smirking but it was the same thing! He wanted to hear what they were talking about but if he got any closer, they were sure to spot him! If only they had some form of disguise but they had all come unprepared, not one of them expected something like this to happen! It didn't help that the fair had gotten extremely busy so trying to keep the couple in their sight was proving to be very difficult.<p>

A childish voice brought Tamaki out of his thoughts;

"Eh? Takashi, isn't that Ku-Chan and Kyo-Chan?"

Tamaki turned to see Mori and Honey both heading towards the second years and he panicked, thinking that his plan for following them would be ruined until two blurs appeared and pulled them to the side, an unwise move as Mori and Honey soon kicked the twins away.

"Ah Senpais! Don't kill them, it's Hikaru and Kaoru!" Haruhi said, worried that the twins stupid actions would end badly for them.

"Hika-Chan and Kao-Chan?" Honey asked, realizing that Haruhi was right.

"Ahh, I'm sorry Hika-Chan, Kao-Chan! I reacted instinctively!" Honey's eyes watered as he took in the barely conscious twins.

"Good job doppelgangers! You sacrificed yourself so our plan would not be revealed! Daddy is proud of you!" Tamaki said, giving the twins a thumbs up while they merely mumbled undistinguishable words.

"Plan? Tama-Chan has a plan? What plan?" Honey enquired.

"My plan, Senpai, is to watch the secret date between Kyoya and Kohaku!"

"Kyo-Chan is on a secret date with Ku-Chan?" Honey asked incredulously.

"Yes! I know Senpai, I was shocked too but I saw it with my own two eyes..." Tamaki leaned in closer to the tiny Senpai and continued, "They were eating together and then... they were walking...laughing... they even hugged!"

Haruhi twitched and smacked Tamaki on the back of the head; "Don't over exaggerate, idiot! You saw them walking together and saw them eating lunch! It doesn't mean they are dating!"

"Ah Haruhi, so sceptical. They are obviously not the type to show public displays of affections! So they prefer to wait until they are alone before doing anything like that!" Tamaki's eyes sparkled, confident that his assumption was correct he turned to watch the couple again only to find they were gone.

"They've disappeared! We must find them before they go off alone!" He declared.

* * *

><p>Kohaku and Kyoya walked in a comfortable silence, Kohaku lost in her thoughts about the boy beside her. At first she thought that he was a manipulative git, then she thought he had a kind side when he agreed to tutor her in maths, then he provoked her and patronised her and now...well she didn't know what to think.<p>

It seemed that Ootori Kyoya was one confusing character. At first glance he seems cold and calculating and then he does something unexpected before reverting back to the cold and calculating side. There was obviously more to him than could be seen at first glance, but then again that was true with everyone, but Kohaku found herself wanting to find out more about Kyoya, the guy who blackmailed her into performing for the Host Club, the boy who gave her the panda she currently held in her arms.

A breeze blew through the park causing Kohaku to shiver, she had forgotten to pick up a coat in her half awakened state when she left the apartment and now she wished her mother had thought about shoving one in her arms because the October wind was rather cold and her sweater wasn't really that thick.

Rubbing her arms, she glanced around for some form of shelter from the wind but knew it would be useless. Kohaku gave a start as a jacket was placed around her shoulders, glancing at it she realized that it was the same one that Kyoya had been wearing; she glanced up at him with questioning eyes.

"We can't have you getting sick otherwise you won't be able to play off your debt," was the answer he gave.

Kohaku merely smiled in thanks, not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth and slipped her arms inside the sleeves. The jacket was warm and the heat quickly transferred onto Kohaku's skin, something she was glad about, sighing in content she noticed that the jacket faintly smelled of some sort of cologne...most likely an expensive brand but the smell was nice.

As she looked around, her eyes lit up at the sight of a Ferris wheel and she had begun to walk quickly towards it, face alight with childish glee. She remembered that when she, her mother and her father had rode on one on her birthday they did it so they were able to watch the fireworks that painted the sky. Ever since then she had developed a love of heights, a love that wasn't satisfied often.

As she stood at the barrier, staring up at the huge wheel, she smiled and turned to Kyoya who was standing there calmly as he examined the pleading look on her face.

"Do you want to go on it?"

* * *

><p>Tamaki stared on in horror as Kyoya and Kohaku prepared to go on the Ferris wheel, a ride where they would be <em>alone. <em>In his mind, he could picture what would happen... and well, it caused him to turn bright red and chase after the two screaming at the top of his lungs.

He thankfully managed to stop them before they got on the Ferris wheel and as he panted, out of breath from his mad dash over to them, Kohaku stared at him in shock while Kyoya merely glared at him.

"I won't let you be alone!" Tamaki exclaimed, once he had regained his breath.

"So you finally decided to show yourself, Tamaki?" Kyoya asked, adjusting his glasses.

"Eh? Have you been following us Suoh-San?" Kohaku asked, confused.

Tamaki tried to ignore Kyoya's glare as he answered; "Of course! When I found out that you two were having a secret date I had to follow!"

Kyoya shook his head at Tamaki's exclamation while Kohaku stuttered in shock.

"D-d-date? Suoh-San...you're mistaken, this isn't a date! Right, Kyoya-San?"

"Tamaki, don't be a prat," Kyoya said blandly, causing the teen to fall over at the insult.

"No! I will not fall after a simple insult like that! Don't lie you two! The truth is against you!"

Tamaki lined up the rest of the Host Club and began to point out how exactly this was a date.

"First, notice the familiarity that Kohaku-Chan addressed Kyoya! Yet she refers to me, her father, as 'Suoh-San'!"

Kohaku went to interrupt but it seemed that Tamaki was on a roll, so she decided to speak once he was finished.

"Secondly, the teddy bear that she carries is obviously a declaration of love from Kyoya! That is why she clings on so tightly to it! Now look at the closeness between them and the fact that she is currently wearing Kyoya's jacket! All of these signs point to only one conclusion... they are dating!"

"Are you done with your delusions, Tamaki?" Kyoya asked, causing the boy to fall into a depression.

"Now allow me to point out why all of your reasoning is incorrect; Kohaku-San addresses me with familiarity because we are classmates and club members. Secondly, I won the stuffed toy in a game and instead of throwing it away, I gave it to Kohaku-San since she seemed to be fascinated with it. Regarding the closeness between us, well the fair is extremely busy and I deemed that it would be better if we didn't get split up since Kohaku-San doesn't deal with crowds all too well. As for the jacket, that is your fault Tamaki, if you had bothered to let her know that you planned this, she would not have left half asleep and wouldn't have forgotten a coat."

As Kyoya rationally explained every point that Tamaki made, he flinched as if he had been shot with an arrow, in the end he was slumped on the ground moping.

"But that doesn't explain why they were together in the first place, Tono" Hikaru 'whispered' to the gloomy blonde who immediately bounced back up, eager to prove his theory right.

"Exactly! Why were you two together? Hmmm?" Tamaki asked leaning into Kyoya's face before the Vice President calmly pushed him back.

Kohaku let out a huff, annoyed at the accusations that Tamaki seemed to throw at her a lot and before Kyoya could talk, she interrupted.

"We were 'together' because you abandoned him asleep on a bench in the middle of a park. Honestly, anything could have happened to him while you were enjoying the fair. Really Suoh-San, you had deemed that I was a lesbian intent on stealing Haruhi's purity just a few days ago and now I'm secretly dating Kyoya-San? Is that really how you think of me?"

Kohaku was visibly upset and her voice trembled slightly as she asked the last question, stunning Tamaki as he hadn't realised that his assumptions would hurt her at all.

When Kohaku received no reply, she shook her head and turned to Kyoya and bowed;

"Thank you for today, Kyoya-San, I had fun but I think I should go home now."

Without meeting the eyes of the rest of the Host Club, Kohaku turned and walked away, quickly disappearing in the crowd.

"You've really done it now Tamaki," Kyoya sighed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hello there! Ah Tamaki, you should stop putting your foot in your mouth sometimes. This chapter turned out differently than I expected but when I was writing the last bit, I don't know, it just felt as if Kohaku would react that way instead of the whole scolding Tamaki, calling him an idiot and then everyone laughing it off. So yes, I initially meant to publish this chapter last night but I may or may not have fallen asleep before I could write the last bit. **

**Anyway as usual thanks to those who add this story to their alerts or favorites! And a big big thank you to you lovely reviewers; ****Itsgoose2u****, ****Takara Rose Oizumi****, ****2featherbraids****, ****scizzors****, ****, ****lunarmidnightwolf!**

**And to scizzors; I don't mind answering, I'm from the UK and honestly I think we call it by both names over here. It's strange. **

**I should update in the next two or three days providing that I'm not hit by major writer's block or something. **


	13. Dinner at the Suzuki Mansion

It had been three days since the incident at the Fair and Kohaku had barely spoken to the Host Club, sure she had turned up, played for the guests and whoever requested her but it seemed that she was distancing herself from them all again all because of Tamaki.

Of course, if any of them had tried to talk to her, she would respond politely before leaving and for some reason this was worse than being ignored completely. It was as if they were strangers on the street who had merely asked a question.

Most of the guests had remained oblivious to this imaginary wall between them, but one particular guest was observant enough to notice the subtle differences in Kohaku's behaviour. Aiko had noticed that the girl seemed tired, that any interactions with the Host Club seemed forced and overly polite, much like the interactions between most of the students of Ouran, but it was only with the Host Club that Kohaku seemed cold towards. She was still as kind as ever towards those who requested her, towards Aiko and to Aiko that was all that mattered.

"Ah Kohaku-Chan, are you busy tonight?" Aiko asked as she watched the young girl put away the sheet music that she had used.

Kohaku glanced up in surprise at Aiko's voice; clearly she had assumed that Aiko had left with the other two girls she had been hosting for the day.

Aiko didn't miss how Kohaku's eyes glanced over the rest of the club members and found herself nervously hoping that her answer would be a no.

There was a pause before Kohaku answered; "No...I'm not busy."

Aiko smiled and let go a breath she didn't even know she was holding and continued; "Then would you like to come to my house? I really would like it if we could play piano more together, perhaps you could teach me another song and maybe you could stay for dinner...?"

Aiko wrung her hands nervously, she really did want Kohaku to accept her invitation, to spend time with the girl _outside_ the Host Club, to get to know her better, become closer to her.

"That sounds fun Aiko-Senpai…but I'd have to let my mom know so she doesn't worry…"Kohaku trailed off.

"Ahh, that's no problem! We can stop at your house on the way to mine! My driver won't mind!" Aiko exclaimed, smiling at the younger girl.

"If you're sure… then I'd love to come to your house Senpai," Kohaku returned the smile.

* * *

><p>The limo pulled into a very long driveway and as Kohaku glanced out the window, she did a double take at how large the house was, it was more like a mansion!<p>

"Wow Senpai, your house is so big," Kohaku exclaimed as she took in the size of the building.

Aiko merely smiled and walked up to the doors which seemed to open as she approached, Kohaku followed, still in awe at the house and just how beautiful it looked.

"May I take your coat Nakamura-Sama?" A young woman asked, judging by her attire she was a maid.

"Uh, sure. Thank you very much," Kohaku said as the maid scurried off to some unknown room with her coat.

"Would the young mistress and her friend like some tea?" Another servant asked.

Aiko shook her head; "Not now, I'm going to give Kohaku-Chan a tour but maybe later."

As the teenagers walked around the house, Kohaku took in the many, many luxurious items; expensive vases, artwork, chandeliers and so much more. Kohaku paused in front of a portrait and glanced at Aiko;

"Are they your parents?"

Aiko glanced at the portrait where a young couple stood, holding a baby, looking much like the perfect family.

"Yeah, that was done when I was five months old. My mother says it is her favourite."

Kohaku stepped closer to the painting and examined the young woman, her skin pale and her hair and her hair falling down her back in natural waves.

"You look just like your mother Aiko-Senpai...except your eyes are lighter. Your parents are very beautiful," Kohaku said with a soft smile, before turning to Aiko once again, not noticing the older girl's blush.

Aiko cleared her throat before leading Kohaku into a room, while smaller than the rest it was not any less extravagant; with a grand piano sitting by a large window and a small chandelier decorating the ceiling.

"Is this where you practiced Senpai?" Kohaku asked as she ran a hand gently over the piano, caressing the instrument.

"Yeah... but I haven't played in a long time," Aiko said meekly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Kohaku turned and grinned at the young woman; "Well, that's going to change today!"

Kohaku sat on the piano bench and indicated for Aiko to do the same;

"Now what do you remember from your lessons?"

LINE BREAK

Aiko and Kohaku had been practicing for an hour, of course the older girl wasn't good enough for Kohaku to teach her a piece of music so she had decided to go over the scales she had been taught when she first started and while Aiko was slightly clumsy when it came to pressing the keys, it was something that could be fixed with practice.

"Let's take a short break Senpai," Kohaku said, placing a hand over Aiko's as the girl tried for the eighth time to play a scale that Kohaku had shown her.

"It's better if you take a small break and come back refreshed," Kohaku smiled at the girl who returned it meekly.

"Maybe, would you like some tea Kohaku-Chan?" Aiko asked.

"I would love some!" Kohaku said, as both girls made their way over to the sofa that sat at the opposite side of the room.

It wasn't long after the girls sat down that a maid, the same one that had asked for Kohaku's coat, arrived carrying a tray laden with cups, tea and a delicate looking sponge cake. As Kohaku inhaled, the smell of a familiar fruit hit her and she immediately covered her mouth and nose.

"Is there something wrong, Kohaku-Chan?" Aiko asked, concerned by the sudden change in the girls behaviour.

"Yes...but what is that tea?" Kohaku asked, glancing at the pot warily.

"Ah! It's strawberry tea, it's rather nice especially with vanilla sponge cake," The maid explained.

"Do you not like strawberry tea, Kohaku-Chan?" Aiko asked.

Kohaku shook her head before responding; "It's not that I don't like it...it's more like my body doesn't like it."

Aiko frowned before realizing what the girl meant; "You're allergic?"

Kohaku nodded and as soon as she did that the maid took the tray and swiftly exited the room while Aiko begun to panic.

"Are you ok Kohaku-Chan? Do you need a doctor?"

Kohaku took her hand away from her mouth and let out a breath; "No...No, I'm fine. As long as I don't eat strawberries I'm fine, the smell just makes me nauseous that's all."

"I'm so sorry Kohaku-Chan! I shouldn't have told the maid to bring strawberry tea, I just thought you would like it but I nearly killed you! I'm really sorry!" Aiko seemed near hysterics and near tears before Kohaku placed a hand on her arm.

"Aiko-Senpai, please calm down. You didn't know so don't worry about it, no harm done, ok?" Kohaku said trying to reassure the girl.

"B-b-but..." Aiko stuttered out, looking thoroughly upset.

"It's alright Senpai, really." Kohaku smiled up at Aiko, hoping to calm her.

Aiko merely avoided Kohaku's gaze as she felt guilt rush through her veins causing the younger girl to sigh and stand up, walking back to the grand piano she allowed her fingers to ghost over the keys. Kohaku had never been the best at reassuring people, she wasn't one of those people who could comfort anyone so right now, she did the only thing she could think of, she played piano.

Aiko stared at Kohaku as the girl began to play an unknown song, the music was soft and each note seemed to caress her and whisper soothing songs into her ear. Watching Kohaku play, Aiko couldn't help but stare at the scene before her; the sun had begun to set, casting an orange glow through the window and casting Kohaku's lone figure into shadow, it was such a beautiful scene. Once Aiko had absorbed the scene visually, she allowed her eyes to slip shut and the notes to soothe her mind.

As the music trailed off to a finish, Aiko gently opened her eyes and smiled gently at Kohaku who was smiling at the girl.

"Are you feeling better Senpai?" Kohaku asked to which Aiko nodded.

"Good... I'm not the best with words when it comes to comforting someone so I thought that listening to the piano might help, it does for me..." Kohaku explained, fiddling with the skirt on her uniform nervously.

While Kohaku had been talking, Aiko had made her way over to the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder; "I loved it Kohaku-Chan... Really, I loved it."

Kohaku grinned up at her Senpai when a maid appeared announcing that dinner was ready.

* * *

><p>Both girls sat at a table in a small dining room, or at least Aiko had said it was small but in Kohaku's opinion it was still pretty large. As several dishes were placed on the table, Kohaku's eyes grew in size, the smell emanating from the unseen food was making her mouth water and she didn't even know what it was!<p>

As a butler revealed the dishes, Kohaku had to make sure she wasn't drooling, there was chicken, cooked in a way that Kohaku was unfamiliar with, but considering that Kohaku knew very little about cooking it didn't mean much, and a selection of vegetables which seemed to be cooked to perfection.

As her meal was placed in front of her, Kohaku glanced around the room, seemingly confused.

"Aren't your parents joining us Senpai?" She asked.

Aiko glanced at the girl before looking at her lap;

"No...They are both on a business trip overseas so they aren't home much."

"I see..." Kohaku trailed off.

A slightly awkward silence fell between the pair as they began to eat, Kohaku could feel the tension that Aiko gave off when she brought up her parents and decided that it would be better to try and avoid that topic.

"So... Aiko-Senpai, do you like western culture?" Kohaku asked, fishing for a topic.

Aiko blinked in shock before answering; "Yes...but how did you know that?"

Kohaku bit her lip sheepishly; "When you were giving me a tour, in your room, I noticed how you had a lot of western music and movies."

Aiko let out a silent 'Oh' before blushing, embarrassed that Kohaku had found out about her recent obsession.

"You're really observant Kohaku-Chan," Aiko said, trying to direct the conversation away from her taste.

Kohaku frowned slightly; "Not really... I just noticed them because I have some of the CDs too."

Aiko stared at Kohaku before grinning at the girl; "You like western culture too?" She asked excitedly.

Kohaku smiled sheepishly; "Mainly the music, I don't really have time to watch movies, let alone western movies."

"Oh...well what kind of music do you listen to then Kohaku-Chan?" Aiko asked, cocking her head to the side.

Kohaku fell silent, trying to find a way to word her taste; "I guess... a little bit of everything. Every genre has something different to offer, it's all so... so different."

"Yeah... I guess." Aiko mused.

* * *

><p>Kohaku opened the apartment door quietly, well aware that her mom was most likely asleep despite it only being 9PM. Aiko had persisted that Kohaku was driven home by her driver, something that Kohaku didn't protest to at all considering the distance between the Suzuki mansion and her apartment.<p>

Slipping off her shoes, the girl quietly walked to her room and got changed into her pyjamas before heading to the kitchen to make some tea. As she walked into the living room, she froze in shock and horror. Sitting around the table was the entire Host Club and asleep on the sofa was her mother.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Kohaku growled, mindful not to raise her voice.

The entire club turned to look at Kohaku and most of their faces paled at the look on her face.

Kohaku glared at them and went to speak when her mother murmured something in her sleep. Shaking her head slightly, Kohaku went over to her mother and tried to wake her but to no avail, giving a sigh she made to pick up the older woman when Mori beat her to it.

Avoiding eye contact with the older boy, she mumbled a 'thank you' before leading him to her mother's room. Once Mori had placed her sleeping mother on the futon, the pair silently walked back into the living room and Kohaku once again glared at the Host Club.

"Now would you care to explain what you are all doing in my home?" Kohaku's voice was quiet but the anger in it was clear.

Tamaki cleared his throat and stood up; for once he had a serious look on his face.

"Everyone came because I would like to apologize to you for my comments. I didn't mean to offend you or hurt your feelings."

Kohaku's glare softened at the sincerity in Tamaki's voice and his face, it was obvious he meant the apology.

"Right...but why couldn't you wait until tomorrow? And why are you _all_ here?" Kohaku asked.

Tamaki's face fell as he tried to think of a logical answer, it appeared that the seriousness that his face held only a moment ago had now disappeared.

After a moment or two of silence Kyoya spoke up; "Tamaki was too afraid to come on his own so he enlisted the help of everyone, or at least I did."

"Mommy! Why did you tell our daughter that? Now she'll think that daddy is a coward!" Tamaki whined.

Kohaku sighed and ran a hand through her hair, noticing that they hadn't answered one of her questions.

"Whatever. Would any of you like some tea?" She asked, making her way into the kitchen.

A chorus of 'yes please' echoed from the living room and Kohaku was just glad that her mom was a heavy sleeper.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hello again my lovely readers! Another chapter which is pretty focused on Aiko and Kohaku, with just a dash of Tamaki's adorable stupidity. For some reason I found this chapter harder to write, maybe because it focused more on the interaction between two characters that I created and therefore I had to make sure that their personalities were exactly how I imagined them? I don't know, I think I'm babbling. **

**Anyway! As always a huge thank you to those who read this, those who add it to their favorites and/or story alerts and a big, enormous thank you to those who review! I do love reading what you guys think of the chapter so thank you to the following people; ****Snowy702****, ****MISCharacter****, ****lunarmidnightwolf****, ****guest****, ****Itsgoose2u****, **** scizzors****, ****, ****2featherbraids, ****and ****Takara Rose Oizumi!**

**Guest:** **You asked if Aiko was asking Kohaku on a date and the answer is… No she wasn't. It was just to hang out!**

**A little random thing here, I found this YouTube video while I was bored and it made me laugh so hard so I thought I would share it with you lovely people. It stars the talented Host Club and focuses on Kyoya. Just copy and paste this (/watch?v=LHqcTUSSMpw ) into the YouTube thing and enjoy Kyoya in all his evilness. **


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